Hell Hath No Fury
by superhackaninja5
Summary: ...Like a pirate scorned. After remembering Emma turning him into a Dark One, Hook uses his new powers to bring back an old enemy to help him make Emma pay for her mistake.
1. Chapter 1

Title:Hell Hath No Fury

Authoress:superhackaninja5

Rating:M

Summary:After getting his memories back and remembering that he is now a Dark One, Hook decides to use his new powers to bring back an old enemy to help him make Emma pay for her mistake.

Warnings:dark themes, OOCness, captainswan bashing, probably smut, canon-twisting, character deaths, violence, maybe torture...that's all for now.

Disclaimer:obviously don't own

So basically this is my remedy for the fact that Hook was only the Dark One for like 2 episodes and then for some reason he decided he loved Emma more or whatever. That was dumb as fuck. And CaptainPan stuff was greatly needed.

* * *

Chapter 1

When he'd set out on his mission to find out what had happened in Camelot that Emma didn't want him to remember, he'd never thought it would be something like this. What he was seeing in the dreamcatcher Zelena currently held in front of him, he could hardly believe it. He didn't _want_ to believe it.

"No,"Killian said hoarsely, clutching his chest and shaking his head in fierce denial as he backed away from the imagine in that glowing, gold-ringed circle, "That can't be,"

The Wicked Witch let out a cold, cruel chuckle. "Finding the truth a little hard to swallow, are you?Well, my dear captain,"she lowered the dreamcatcher and went to retrieve Excalibur from where Emma had dropped it when Killian had immobilized her. Then, she sidled back up to Hook, closer this time, holding the sword up so the flat side was facing him and he could see what was engraved there, "I think you'll find it most certainly _can_ be,"

Killian's aquamarine orbs narrowed. It was no longer Emma's name written across the wavy blade-it was his own.

"There,"Zelena continued with a vicious grim, seeming to derive some sadistic pleasure from the anguished expression that came over the former pirate's rugged features, "Your so-called _true love_ turned you into a Dark One,"

Killian truly didn't know what to say to that. It had never even crossed his mind that this was what Emma had been hiding from him. He was truly horrified-but then, that horror turned into anger when Zelena added, "And she was never even going to tell you,"

"Killian,"Emma started, tone beseeching-but the dark-haired man cut her off. "So that's what this was all about?"he queried softly, jaw working furiously as he tried to keep himself from shouting.

"I was never in any danger tonight, was I?"he asked accusingly, crossing his arms over his chest. "You were just trying to keep me from the truth. That's why you took way everyone's memories. Isn't it?"

"I wanted to fix it first, to make up for what I'd done,"Emma tried to defend herself a second time, but this time, Zelena was the one to interrupt. "By killing me?Oh, how _sweet_ ,"she sneered mockingly, rolling her eyes.

Emma let out a heavy breath before trying to justify that action, directing her words at her boyfriend. "Killian, I didn't have a choice. It was the only way to get rid of the darkness in both of us;everything I've done since we got back to Storybrooke was to save you."

The new Dark One gave her a withering glare. "And if you had just told me that in the first place, I might have believed you,"he retorted disparagingly, shaking his head again with a grim expression, "But, even after I never stopped believing in you, you obviously didn't believe in me enough to tell me the truth. How could you keep something like this from me?"

"I'm sorry,"Emma said in a small voice, her blue-grey eyes starting to water. She didn't know what else she could say;she didn't know if there was anything that would make this better-and Hook didn't look as if he were in the mood to give her a chance to find out.

He stepped past Zelena and leaned in, almost touching their foreheads together. "Not yet, you're not,"he replied in barely above a whisper, breaths wavering with the force of his words, "But you will be,"

His voice was so utterly void of emotion that Emma had to suppress a shiver-which that only became more difficult when Zelena let out another mirthless giggle from beside her. However, before she could say anything, Killian had already turned his attention back to the Witch.

"Are you ready to learn what else happened in Camelot?"the green-skinned woman asked, lifting the dreamcatcher again temptingly.

Emma felt her heart stutter in her chest. The last thing she wanted was for Killian to see the rest of the memories she'd taken from him. Unfortunately, though, there was nothing she could do to stop it:she was completely frozen and, if Killian said yes, she didn't think there was anything she could say to change his mind.

Her stomach dropped when Killian responded in that same cold, emotionless tone: "Aye-but first we have to take care of her,"

Emma's eyes widened as they darted warily from him to Zelena, who was grinning and clapping her hands together in excitement, and then back.

"Killian, what are you doing?"she asked in a strained voice, heart pounding in her chest as Killian once again invaded her personal space with a look in his eyes that she definitely didn't like.

Her boyfriend-or maybe her _ex_ boyfriend would be a more appropriate term at this point-didn't answer her. Instead, when his face was once again mere centimeters away from hers, he addressed Zelena, holding out his good hand, "Now how about you give me that cuff and we can finish this before the squid ink wears off?"he said, phrasing it like a suggestion-but his tone made it clear that it wasn't one.

A cold feeling of dread washed through Emma's body at those words. She knew what Killian was planning:she knew what ''cuff'' he was talking about. He was going to take away her magic.

"Killian, _please_ ,"she begged desperately in one last attempt to get through to him-but the new Dark One wasn't having it. He didn't even respond to her plea, simply waiting patiently as Zelena pulled out the leather cuff from inside her cloak and placed it in his outstretched palm with a smile;she was obviously a fan of this plan.

Emma nearly jumped when she felt Killian's lips touch her ear-or she would have if she wasn't immobilized. "You really should have told me the truth, Swan,"he intoned with an air of someone scolding a child. She winced when she felt him fasten the piece of leather around her wrist as he finished, "But because you didn't, you're not going to be the only one who suffers the consequences,"

He pulled back, once again shifting his gaze back to the Wicked Witch and directing his next words at her. "You know what to do."

There was a sudden white hot pain in Emma's left temple and then everything went black.

* * *

Hook and Zelena had left Emma lying on the floor, unconscious and still immobilized by the quid ink. The pirate knew he should have felt a modicum of regret for what he'd done to her, but, after what she'd done to him, what he was feeling was quite the opposite.

The Wicked Witch had exposed everything. Every single thing that Emma had tried to conceal from him, everything that had happened between them while they were in Camelot, he knew it all now. And Emma turning him into a Dark One was the least of it.

Perhaps the most troubling sight-or what should have been the most troubling sight, anyways-was watching himself murder the sorcerer, Merlin. He'd torn out Merlin's heart and crushed it in his fist in order to enact the curse that had brought hem all back to Storybrooke. He knew he probably should have felt horrified by that-but what was truly troubling was that he didn't.

Killian inhaled deeply, watching his breath condense in the night air. He remembered what the darkness had shown him as it had consumed his body:his memories of Milah's murder, of all of the horrible things Rumplestiltskin had done to him, all of the misery that that bloody crocodile had caused him. His thirst for vengeance had been restored-but at the time, Rumplestiltskin had been in Storybrooke and he had been in Camelot, which was why he'd cast that curse:to get back.

But then, Emma had taken his memories:she'd interfered with his revenge for the second time. Now Killian was standing outside the Crocodile's shop, he had his memories back, and Emma wasn't going to be able to stop him this time. No one was.

He strode purposefully up to the shop's front entrance, feeling a sort of dark thrill at the prospect of what he had planned. The darkness was leading the way, its power crackling inside of him like currents of electricity. It had been a long time since he'd last felt this _alive_ -ironic, really, when you considered the fact that what had brought him here was him nearly dying.

There was a "CLOSED"sign in the window of the front door, but Killian disregarded it completely. He wasn't here as a customer, after all, and what he wanted couldn't wait.

"Killian,"the Crocodile's girlfriend, Belle, greeted him from in front of the glass counter at the back of the shop. She didn't look exactly pleased to see him. "What are you doing here?"

Rather than being offended, Killian simply appeared amused by the red-haired woman's less-than-welcoming expression. "I'm here to see your boyfriend, love,"he replied smoothly, stopping just feet away from the sales' desk to wait for Belle to get the message.

The redhead frowned, obviously confused. "Can I ask why?"she questioned carefully, unable to keep the note of uneasiness out of her voice. Killian, of course, heard it all too clearly-and it only served to amuse him further. He knew Belle wasn't stupid:she could probably sense that she wasn't dealing with the same man she'd talked to only a day ago. He knew he even looked different-she was wise to be unsettled.

Of course, that didn't mean he was going to treat her as anything more than an obstacle-or that he wouldn't get rid of her if she stood in his way.

"Let's just say he and I have some unfinished business,"he replied evasively, tapping his chin with the curve of his metal hook.

"And what _business_ would that be, _pirate_?"the Crocodile's distinctive accent cut in as the shop owner stepped out from behind the curtain that separated the shop's display area from his office. Suspicion was written all over the elder man's weathered features and he came to a stop next to his girlfriend, knuckles whitening where they covered the top of his cane.

Killian's lips twisted into a cold smirk.

"I think you'll find it's ''Dark One" now, actually,"he corrected, blue eyes gleaming with mirth as he watched his companions for their reactions.

Belle's brown eyes widened in a mix of shock and fear and a crease appeared between Rumplestiltskin's brows. "What are you talking about?"the redhead asked, voice trembling audibly. That was the absolute last thing she had expected to ever hear.

"Your boyfriend pawned the darkness off on Emma, love,"the pirate reminded her in a deceptively casual tone. Then he let out a low, malevolent chuckle before adding, "And she pawned it off on me,"

A muscle jumped in the former Dark One's jaw as he recognized the truth in what his nemesis was saying and put the final piece in place. "And now you're here to take your revenge,"he finished flatly, affecting an air of exaggerated boredom.

The pirate's expression turned predatory. He'd never pegged Rumplestiltskin as a fool-but if he really thought that it was going to be that simple, then Killian had severely overestimated him all this time. Granted, that _had_ been his initial goal-but now he was aiming for something a little more... _complicated._

"Well, for this lovely piece of hardware,"he gestured theatrically toward his hook, "I had planned to take you hand. For Milah, your heart. For filling Emma with the darkness,"He paused, feigning thoughtfulness-then he snapped his fingers, "Right!I thought your head would do quiet nicely."

"So what are you waiting for?"the elder man retorted calmly, "Get on with it,"

"No, no, no, no,"Killian wagged his index finger reprovingly, "That's not how this is going to work. You see, it's no longer just revenge that I want,"

Rumple couldn't conceal the surprise he felt at that statement. "So what do you want from me?"he asked shrewdly, eyes narrowing with unconcealed disquiet.

His trepidation only increased when Killian suddenly vanished, and then reappeared directly in front of him.

The pirate leaned in close, steel-blue orbs blazing like cold fire. "For now, _dearie_ ,"he whispered, Irish accent thick with mockery as he uttered Rumple's favourite term of condescension, "I'll just take your blood,"

Before the elder man could react, Killian lunged, pinning him back against the shop counter and plunging his hook into Rumple's chest.

"Rumple!"Belle cried out in alarm as her boyfriend gasped in shock and pain. She couldn't help him, though-she couldn't even move.

Killian let out a heavy, exhilarated breath as he withdrew his hook and watched with vindicated as his nemesis sank to the floor, clutching in agony at his chest.

"Don't worry, crocodile:your wound will heal, It's not your life I want, either,"the new Dark One gave a wolfish grin, "So you'll live. For now."

He tilted his head forward in a cheeky salute before disappearing again, leaving Rumplestiltskin to lick his wounds.

It was time to put the next phase of his plan into action.

* * *

I'm not really sure how I feel about this chapter but eh.


	2. Chapter 2

Title:Hell Hath No Fury

Rating:M

Authoress:superhackaninja5

Summary:see chapter one

Warnings:see chapter one

Disclaimer:I don't own of course. BUT PAN FINALLY SHOWED UP AGAIN IN OUAT 5B. I really hope he's in more episodes.

Okay I know this took forever and I really feel like this chapter needed another scene but I couldn't think of one so I gave up.

* * *

Emma awoke to find herself tied up and lying on the floor. Her vision was blurred from being knocked out, but she could see that she was alone in the house. Hook was gone;he'd had Zelena render her unconscious, then he'd left her behind.

That knowledge made her stomach clench. She must have really hurt him, because the Killian who loved her would never do such a thing. He would never have left her. She'd really screwed up.

She sank into a miserable stupor, not bothering to see if the squid ink had worn off or even trying to free herself from her restraints. She became so subdued that she almost dind't hear the chorus of voices calling her name-not until their owners burst into the room.t

"Emma!"her mother, Mary Margaret exclaimed in alarm when her eyes found Emma on the carpet, wrists bound and a bleak look on her pale face.

She rushed over to her daughter and began to work on untying her as a second woman came in close behind her. "What happened?"Regina asked without preamble, brows furrowing as she entered the sitting room and her gaze met Emma's.

The former Saviour wasn't immediately forthcoming with a response as she slowly got to her feet after her mother had finally finished removing the rope that had held hands together. She'd realy hoped to be able to put this off for as long as possible:she didn't want to admit the horrible mistake she had made. At this point, though, it looked as if she really didn't have a choice.

With a resigned sigh, Emma dropped herself onto one of the couches, rubbing her wrists tensely. "It was Zelena,"she admitted reluctantly after a long pause, "Zelena...and Hook,"

Mary Margaret let out a gasp while Regina simply raised an eyebrow. "Hook teamed up with my sister?"the Queen quipped dubiously, forehead creasing in a frown, "Why would he do that?And how did he stop you from killing her?"

"He gave her her magic back,"Emma revealed grimly, "And had her take away mine,"

"But why?"Mary Margaret pressed, real concern etched into her expression. She couldn't believe what she was hearing-she couldn't believe that Hook would do those things without a good reason.

It was clear that Emma really didn't want to tell them what had happened to make Hook betray her-but she did. "Because I lied to him about turning him into a Dark One,"she stated carefully, keeping her face forcefully blank.

There was a stunned silence as her mother and Regina digested that proclamation. Mary Margaret's eyes widened even further and Regina began to look at her as if she had gone mad.

"You turned Hook into a Dark One?"the Queen queried tightly, glaring at her with ill-concealed anger. Obviously whatever she'd been expecting Emma to say, it hadn't been that-and she definitely wasn't happy.

Emma took a deep breath. She'd known that that was coming:Regina had never been one to pull any punches. "It was the only way to save him."she stated flatly, keeping her gaze fixed straight ahead as her mother handed her a glass of water.

She heard Regina let out an exasperated sigh. "And you didn't think of the consequences to everyone else?"

"I couldn't just let him die,"Emma side-eyed her defensively, "You can understand that,"

"Well, yes,"Regina conceded grudgingly, "But," She inhaled sharply, shaking her head and closing her eyes, "Now we have a bigger problem. We don't know where your pirate is or what he's doing, which means we have no way of preparing ourselves for whatever it is he's planning,"

Emma heaved another sigh. "I know,"she said regretfully, "I didn't think that any of this would happen. I was trying to get rid of the darkness for good-but I couldn't do it in time. Hook found out the truth and he left before I had a chance to explain,"

"And how did he find out the truth, Emma?"REgina demanded, "If you hadn't been trying to kill Zelena, Hook never would have tried to stop you and my sister would have gotten her hands on the dreamcatcher with his lost memories,"

"You can't honestly tell me that, after all Zelena's done to you, you wouldn't be happier if she were gone,"Emma shot back, "I was doing you a favour,"

"Come on,"Mary Margaret interrupted in a tone that made it evident she wasn't buying what her daughter was trying to sell. "That was premeditated _murder_ , Emma. There had to be another way. You should have come to us,"

"And risk losing someone else?"Emma said, "I'd already almost lost Hook. I didn't want to put anyone else at risk,"

"Well, now we're all at risk,"Regina pointed out, "So now we have to clean up this mess,"

"No, we don't,"Mary Margaret cut in again with an unsettling return to her usual annoyingly hopeful tone. She leaned forward in her armchair, appealing to Emma, "Give us back out memories. Your dreamcatchers, Regina can access them, can't she?We can piece together Hook's plan and stop him,"

Emma's answer was interrupted by the arrival of her father, who delivered grim news that effectively put an end to that plan. "Actually, we can't,"he stated, "I looked everywhere for the dreamcatchers. They're nowhere to be found,"

Emma swallowed hard, looking down at the floor"Hook must have stolen them,"she said in a small voice, "I don't have a clue where they are,"

Regina exhaled heavily, throwing up her hands. "Great. So how the hell are we supposed to figure out what Captain Dark One is up to?"she declared, clearly incensed.

The female Dark One shook her head. She was at a complete loss. "I don't know,"was all she could say, feeling an emotion she hadn't felt in a long time:helplessness.

There was another brief moment of strained silence while her mother and Regina appeared to consider what to do next.

"Well,"Mary Margaret broke the silence after taking a deep breath, "We're going to have to tell everyone else,"

Emma's head snapped toward her. "No-"she started to object vehemently, but her mother helf up a hand to forestall her, "This isn't a suggestion, Emma. We _have_ to go to the others so that they can help us figure out what Hook has planned-and so that they can prepare themselves,"

Her daughter pressed her lips together. She couldn't deny that Mary Margaret had a point. She couldn't leave the other residents of the town defenseless simply because she didn't want them to know what she'd done.

"Fine,"she surrendered, clenching her hands in her lap to stop them from shaking. She didn't want her mother to see just how much this was tearing her up inside.

Mary Margaret gave a forceful nod. "Okay then, she said, pretending not to notice how unwillingly her daughter had agreed to her declaration. She rose from her seat, "Let's go talk to Gold-the sooner the better,"

The female Dark One took a moment to compose herself before she mimicked her mother, rising to her feet with her chin raised. She and Regina followed the princess out of the mansion's front door to go and find the rest of their family.

* * *

When they walked into Gold's shop, they found its owner lying on the floor, hand pressed over a bloody tear in the front of his shirt. Belle was kneeling beside him, gripping his other hand with her lips compressed into a thin line.

The three women stopped in their tracks. "Let me guess,"Regina spoke first, putting her hands on her hips, "Hook attacked you?"

Rumplestiltskin inhaled sharply, closing his eyes as he worked himself into a more dignified position, leaning heavily against the front of his desk. "So you know, then?"he shot back in a strained voice:he was obviously still in a lot of pain.

Regina inclined her head in an affirmative. "Emma just told us,"she stated, shooting a slightly reproachful look at the female Dark One before turning back to her former mentor, "Did he come after you for his revenge?"

"That would have made sense. After all, as a man, Hook spent centuries trying to kill me:it wouldn't have been have surprising for revenge to be on his mind again now that's he's become a Dark One,"the shop owner mused honestly. Then, a frown wrinkled his already lined forehead as he added, "But strangely, that wasn't what he came here for. Even though he attacked me, he made it quite clear that my life wasn't what he was after,"

Regina arched one of her thin black eyebrows. "So what did he attack you for, then?"she queried in a bewildered tone.

Everyone's attention was on Gold as he moved his hand away from the rip in his shirt to show the wound that Hook had given him. "He wanted my blood,"the former Dark One supplied flatly, grimacing at the sight of his unhealed injury.

Emma's expression darkened in consternation. "What would he want with your blood?"she queried suspiciously, folding her arms across her chest.

Gold took a deep, slightly shaky breath, appearing to consider the question.

"I don't know,"he admitted after a long pause, shifting uncomfortably, "But there might be some clues in some of the books I keep in my office," He jerked his thumb in the direction of the curtains behind his desk, "Start with the Dark One chronicles. That might provide some answers."

"But,"Belle interjected before they could get to the office, "Could one of you help him please?"

Emma spread her arms so that they could see the leather cuff on her arm. "If one of you could just take this off, I could just stop Hook now and we wouldn't have to go through any of this,"she pointed out reasonably, gesturing at the group. She couldn't understand why no one else could see that she was the only one who could put an end to this before it got any worse :all she needed was her magic back.

Unfortunately, that wasn't going to happen. "I don't think so,"Gold held up a hand to forestall everyone, shaking his head, "Regina can heal my injury and you, Miss Swan, you're a fool if you think I'm going to trust you with magic again after everything you've done. Now I suggest you get started going through those books if you want to have a chance of discovering what Hook is planning,"

Offended and hurt, Emma blew out a lot of air and, with a quiet scoff, headed for the store's back room as Regina hastened to grant Belle's request. Mary Margaret followed close at her daughter's heels and the two of them went straight to the bookshelves in the far corner and started scanning for the Dark One chronicles.

It didn't take long to find them as they turned out to be quite distinctive-looking tomes. There were quite a few volumes, so both Mary Margaret and Emma took a few from the shelf, as well as Regina, Gold, David, and Belle when they entered not long after, and began to go through the pages in a frantic search for anything that could tell them what Hook was planning to do next.

They pored over the ancient books for what seemed like hours-but Emma was having trouble concentrating. She hadn't expected Gold to consent to help her get her magic back;but the fact that he hadn't still stung. This was, after all, her mess and all she wanted was to clean it up without putting anyone else in danger;but without her magic, she wasn't a match for Hook, so there was nothing she could do except hope that these books would provide an alternative.

Her hopes were dashed, though, when it started to get dark and they still hadn't found anything. Regina threw the book she was currently reading down onto the table she was sitting at in a fit of exasperation. "There's nothing here,"she declared despondently, throwing up her hands in a gesture of surrender. "All any of these will say is that when a Dark One is being controlled, they only want what their master does;but if they're acting autonomously, it doesn't get any clearer than saying their ultimate plan will be to ''snuff out the light'', whatever that means,"

At hearing that, Emma sighed. "Well, that's it, then:unless one of you decides to trust me enough to take this cuff off so I can stop Hook, we're all going to be done for,"she made one final appeal to her family and friends, pleading with them to see sense. She didn't want all of them to pay the price for her mistake.

But no one else seemed to see it that way. "No,"her mother was the one to deny her suggestion this time, shooting her a stern look. "We'll find some other way. We'll find out where Hook put your dreamcatchers and we'll get our memories back. We're doing this together, Emma-whether you like it or not,"she finished firmly, making it clear that Emma no longer had a say in the matter and there was nothing she could do to change that. She wasn't going to get her magic back, and she wasn't going to be allowed to do this on her own.

* * *

Hook's aquamarine orbs stared impassively out across the pond as the voice of one of the past Dark Ones filled his head.

"You've successfully retrieved exactly what you need in order to complete our plan:the blood of a man who's been to Hell and back,"Rumplestiltskin's specter declared with obvious relish, "Rumplestiltskin has done what few can claim:he died-and then, he returned. This pond holds a portal to the underworld itself,"

Hook felt a jolt of recognition go through him as he scanned the dark stretch of water more closely. "This is where the Fury tried to drag Robin Hood to Hell,"he realized with mild surprise, turning to the male apparition next to him with a raised eyebrow, "I thought the portal could only open when the moon reaches its zenith,"

His companion shook his head as if dealing with a slow child. "Yes-for a Fury,"he confirmed, "But it's always existed, dearie-you just have to know how to open it,"He gestured toward the curved piece of metal that took the place of the other man's right hand.

Taking the hint, Killian strode forward, closing the little remaining distance between him and the pond. Once he was at the very edge, he sank into a kneeling position and, with a deep breath, he plunged his blood-stained hook into the murky water.

A wave of blackness swept over the surface as he got back to his feet. As he returned to his previous position, clouds of mist crept in from the copse of trees on either side, blowing in and creating a thick cloud, from which came the appearance of a dilapidated obsidian boat.

There was a single small lantern dangling from the boat's prow and, with the help of its light, Killian was able to see that the boat carried a single passenger, clad from head to foot in a copper-coloured cloak. The cloak's hood was pulled low so it was impossible to tell if they were male or female.

Hook felt a shiver of anticipation run through him as the boat came to a stop at the center of the pond and the hooded passenger climbed out over the side, coming to stand on the surface of the water as if it were solid ground. "Bloody hell,"he whispered with what could only be described as awe;truthfully, he had been a bit dubious about whether or not this would actually work and he could hardly believe that it had.

He heard the specter of Rumplestiltskin let out a mirthless chuckle at his exclamation. "That's exactly where he came from,"the crocodile said with a sinister sort of amusement.

Hook didn't respond to that:instead, he simply watched as the figure began to make their way over to the shore in an easy, languid manner-one that he recognized all too well.

He sauntered back to the edge of the pond, heart rate increasing as the figure came closer, striding almost casually in his direction. The shadows surrounding the water deepened with every step the figure took, seeming to follow them like a shroud.

When they were mere inches apart, the hooded figure stepped deftly onto the riverbank and the new Dark One greeted them like an old friend:

"Welcome back to Storybrooke, mate."

The figure threw back their hood, so the moonlight threw their face into sharp relief. Hook's lips twisted into a dark smile at the familiar sight. Emma was truly going to hate him for this.

But then, this was all her fault. She'd infected him with the darkness and then stolen his memories. Unfortunately for her, though, he'd gotten them back-and now, everyone was going to pay for her mistake.


	3. Chapter 3

Title:Hell Hath No Fury

Authoress:superhackaninja5

Rating:M

Summary:see chapter one

Warnings:see chapter one

Disclaimer:you know what it is.

So based on the content of this chapter, this fic is probably going to be pretty short, since it's basically like redux of my Return fic, only with Hook as the one kinda calling the shots and not being corrupted by Pan. Kinda the only major difference. But whatever. Anyways...

Chapter 3

It was strange, really:not even a day ago, just the idea of what he was about to do would have been completely abhorrent to him. But then, he hadn't known yesterday what he knew now. He wasn't the same person he'd been twenty four hours ago, and he wasn't looking at things through the same eyes anymore.

Everything he thought he knew about the woman he loved had been wrong. After everything he'd done for her, after all the time he'd spent believing in her when even her own family hadn't, she still hadn't trusted him enough to tell him the truth when he'd needed it the most. That one lie had undone all that had been good between them. She'd destroyed his faith in her and allowed him to see what his love for her had kept hidden for so long:she had caused him to give up everything-so now he was going to take everything away from her.

Starting with her friends.

Although, admittedly, the dwarf once known as Grumpy, now called Leroy, was really more a friend of Emma's parents;but his death would still hurt her. That was why the dwarf was the first name on Hook's hitlist.

The new Dark One watched his target carefully from an alley near the diner known as Granny's, using his powers to keep himself concealed in the shadow. It was most likely a good idea to strike once the dwarf had left the diner, he mused to himself. Not that he had a problem with a few extra casualties, but he would prefer not to have to deal with unnecessary complications. He was only after one person:no need for others to lose their lives, too.

He exhaled softly as he heard the chiming of the clock tower in the town square. It had been nearly an hour since he'd tracked his target here. He wasn't really inclined to wait much longer.

Luckily for him-but probably unluckily for the dwarf-Leroy chose that moment to exit the family run diner, hands in the pockets of his large duffel coat and the usual gruff expression on his bearded face. Hook had never been able to tell if the dwarf was actually always unhappy, or if that was just the way his face was.

Well, he was going to have something to be unhappy about now.

Hook tracked the dwarf with his eyes as Leroy strode across the diner's front walkway and into the street. He seemed to be heading toward the center of town. Why, Killian didn't know, but it didn't really matter.

When Leroy passed the alley he was in, Hook made his move.

He disappeared from the spot he'd been in and reappeared directly behind the dwarf, clapping his good hand over Leroy's mouth and starting to drag him back into the alley.

Leroy tried to fight him off, of course, but before he could do a thing, Hook spelled him so that he couldn't move. He left him conscious, though:he wanted the dwarf to be awake to feel every second of what was going to be done to him.

Once they were both back in the alley, Hook dumped his captive unceremoniously onto the ground. "Hook,"Leroy all but spat at him, the word coming out slightly garbled on account of his numbed lips. "What the hell are you doing?"

The new Dark One wasn't immediately forthcoming with a response, pretending to consider the question for a moment and rubbing his gloved fingers over the curve of his metal hook in an exaggeratedly contemplative manner. Then, he spoke.

"I want you to know,"he started with an air of feigned remorse, "That this isn't personal. You just happen to have an unfortunate connection to the former Saviour, and I needed someone close to her to give her a message for me,"

The other man's eyes narrowed. "What kind of message?"he asked in an even more garbled tone than previously-but the suspicion in his voice was still obvious.

Hook's lips curled into a vicious smile. "The non-verbal kind."

Before Leroy could think up a suitable response to that, the Dark One attacked, slashing brutally at the dwarf's face with his hook so anything he'd had to say was swallowed up by an agonized grunt. The dwarf's mouth filled with the taste of blood as it gushed from the fresh wound, and he couldn't do a thing about it. Nor could he do a thing to stop Hook repeating the same action a second time, which was exactly what Hook did.

More yells tore themselves from Leroy's lips as Hook continued to cut into his face, each one getting steadily louder and louder, to the point where Hook had to use another spell to make sure that no one else would hear. He wanted only one person to see what he'd done, after all-and he only wanted her to see the end result.

Keen on making that result as horrifying as possible, the new Dark One decided to do something he'd never done to a victim before:he removed the dwarf's eyes. And he didn't try to do it with any finesse, either:he just jammed his hook into each of the dwarf's eye sockets and kept putting pressure behind it until each eyeball just popped out. Leroy howled in pain at that, choking slightly as more blood poured over his cheeks and got into his mouth.

His obvious agony seemed to only spur Hook on, though:running out of undamaged skin on the dwarf's face, he proceeded to undo the dwarf's coat, ripping away his shirt and beginning to slash at his chest.

He'd almost forgotten what it felt like to kill someone, not because he had to, but because he wanted to. It had been far too long since he'd done this, and even longer since he'd really been able to...enjoy it. But now he no longer had anyone counting on him to hold back his baser urges, he was able to really savour this moment. To be honest, he'd missed this.

As a final touch, he worked one of the wounds on Leroy's chest into the shape of the weapon that had made it. That would be his message to Emma:an unmistakable admission to this crime, and an indisputable declaration of his new attitude toward her. She was now nothing more to him than someone he wanted to hurt.

Satisfied, Killian got to his feet and cleaned himself off with a sweep of magic. His message was complete:now he just had to make sure that Emma got it.

The former Saviour rubbed at her eyes wearily, forehead creased in a severe frown. The morning sun pouring through the windows of her house was making her head ache:she'd been awake all night, trying to figure out what Hook could possibly be planning to do with Rumplestiltskin's blood. She had gone through every single one of the Dark One chronicles-with help from her family-but she hadn't been able to come up with anything. She couldn't remember ever feeling this frustrated before:she had been the one to create this monster, but she couldn't for the life of her figure out what he wanted.

Her head was pounding, but she couldn't rest. She _had_ to put the pieces of this puzzle together, before it was too late. She had to protect her friends and family from whatever hell was planning to put them through.

She was startled out of her thoughts by the familiar sound of her cell phone buzzing, loudly enough to make her drop the book she was holding.

Inhaling deeply to try and calm herself, she put the book down and reached for the slim, black device, picking it up off of her coffee table and examining it carefully.

There was a text message flashing on the screen;there was no phone number attached to it, though, and all it said was ''go outside''.

The frown Emma had been wearing all night got, if possible, even more intense. Who would send her a message like that?And why would they want her to go outside?Emma didn't think she really wanted to know the answer to that last question.

It wasn't long, however, before curiosity got the better of her. She got to her feet, slipping her cell phone into the pocket of her jacket as she made her way to the front door.

It was only a couple of feet between her living room and her front door, but right then the distance seemed even shorter. Emma's neck was prickling as she put her hand on the brass knob:whatever she was about to see, she didn't think she was prepared for it. She'd seen plenty of horrible things before, but that didn't mean she was ever going to get used to them.

Feeling an immense sense of trepidation, the female Dark One turned the knob and pulled open her front door to find...

A body.

It wasn't the first time she had seen a corpse-not even close-but it was the first time she'd seen one so...mangled.

The eyes had been removed, leaving only empty sockets behind in their place. There were slash wounds all over the body's chest and face-if it wasn't for the beard, it would have been impossible to tell if it was male or female.

Emma felt bile rise at the back of her throat-but not because of the corpse's grisly state, or because she recognized the ruined face. No, the thing that was making her sick was the shape of one of the wounds on the dead man's chest:stretching from the bast of his neck to the top of his groin was a cut in a very distinctive and unsettling shape.

A hook.

The hand holding her cell phone shook as she raised the device and started to dial a number. Swallowing hard, she held it up to her ear as it began to ring.

"Hook's made his next move,"she declared when her mother picked up the line, "He's killed Leroy,"

When David and Mary Margaret arrived at their daughter's house, they found her sitting on her front steps, her head in her hands and the dead body of their friend lying at her feet.

"Oh my god,"Mary Margaret exclaimed in horror, turning away and burying her face in her husband's shoulder. It wasn't the first dead body she'd seen, either, but it was still painful. Grumpy had been one of her best friends:she'd never wanted to see him dead.

David wrapped his arm around his wife consolingly, resting his chin on top of her head. "What happened?"he asked Emma, clenching his jaw to hold in his own grief.

The former Saviour raised her head, clasping her hands in her lap and biting her lip. "I got a text telling me to go outside-and when I got out here, I found his body,"she told her father in a low, pained voice. She let out a shaky breath, jerking her chin at the corpse, "Hook did this-and he wanted me to know. He all but left me a confession on Leroy's chest,"

Clearly alarmed by that last part, David looked over his wife's head at the body to try and see what Emma meant.

A grimace came over his slightly tanned features when he saw the hook-shaped scar that covered the majority of his dead friend's bare torso. There was no way to misread that. Emma was right:Hook had killed their friend.

"He wants to hurt me for lying to him,"the former Saviour continued, "That's why he left the body on my front lawn. He wanted me to see what I've pushed him to,"

David didn't know how to comfort her:truth be told, he agreed with her. This was her fault for not telling Hook the truth when she had the chance. But he didn't want to make his daughter feel any worse than she already did, so he didn't say it out loud. Instead, he voiced his other thoughts on the subject.

"But just committing a murder like this seems rather... _tame_ for a Dark One, doesn't it?"the prince commented carefully, slipping his free hand into the front pocket of his jeans and pursing his lips. "I mean, it was a horrible thing to do, I know, but he has to have had another motive than just trying to hurt you. This has to be just prelude to something else, something worse,"

Emma rubbed at her forehead, blinking back tears as she considered her father's words. He had a point, actually:murdering Leroy and leaving the body on her front lawn was a really terrible thing to do, but it wasn't exactly a Dark One level crime. Hook had to be planning something else and killing one of her parents' best friends was only the beginning.

As if in response to Emma's thought, another familiar, accented, voice cut into all of their stupours. "The prince is right:the murder of the dwarf is nothing compared to what the pirate can do with his newfound powers."

The three Charmings all started at that, looking around in time to see Rumplestiltskin coming up the driveway, a grim expression on his weathered features.

"What do you mean by that?"David queried with a mix of surprise and wariness.

The former Dark One came to a halt in front of them, leaning heavily against his walking stick. "We've been looking in the wrong place,"he informed them with the air of someone having to admit something highly unpleasant. "I thought about it after you all left, and I realized:the reason the Dark One chronicles were of no help could be because Hook taking my blood could have nothing to do with my being a Dark One."

Emma and her parents all frowned at that.

"Why else would he need _your_ blood, if he didn't need the blood of a former Dark One?"the blonde questioned, obviously not getting the picture.

The pawnbroker shot her a withering glance. "Is that really all you think of me as, Miss Swan?Just a former Dark One?"he said, feigning offense. "I do happen to be more than that. For example, I am one of the very, _very_ few few people in the universe who has been to the underworld and returned-and, according to some of my older books, the blood of someone like that could be used in any number of dark rituals, including bringing another back from the land of the dead."

A tense silence followed that statement as his companions digested that horrifying revelation. Emma had an especially hard time accepting it.

"So is that what you think he's going to do with your blood, then?You think he's going to use it to bring someone else back from the dead?"she asked, her frown deepening.

Rumplestiltskin pursed his lips. "I honestly don't know,"he admitted, "But if it is, you can bet he won't be bringing back anyone good."

"So what do we do, then?"David said, giving Henry's other grandfather a desperate look. "Isn't there any way we can stop him?"

The other man heaved a sigh and spread his palms in an uncharacteristic gesture of helplessness. "If you could get my blood away from him before he uses it, that would stop whatever he has planned-but he's had it for more than a day now and I very much doubt that Dark One Hook is the patient type."

"So you're saying there's nothing we can do?"David surmised.

Gold lifted his shoulders in a shrug.

"Unfortunately, no,"he said. "We don't know what Hook's ultimate goal is;we don't know whether or not he's brought someone back from the dead and, if he has, we don't know who it is. We don't even know where he is, so what exactly do you propose we do?"

An answer wasn't immediately forthcoming:the former Dark One was right, after all. They didn't even know whether or not Hook had already performed whatever ritual he'd needed Rumplestiltskin's blood for. But David and Mary Margaret weren't the type to give up, no matter how hopeless a situation seemed.

Mary Margaret was the one to offer a solution.

"Hook took Emma's dreamcatchers,"she reminded her family. "There has to be reason he did that-there must be something in the memories Emma took from us that he doesn't want use to see. So I think we should focus on getting them back."

Her daughter was going to suggest once again that someone simply remove the magic-nullifying cuff on her wrist so she could stop Hook herself-but, knowing no one would grant her request, she agreed with the other woman.

"Mary Margaret's right. Hook took my memories of just before he enacted the curse away, too. Those dreamcatchers might hold the way to stop him."

The dark-haired woman shot her an encouraging smile, swiping at her tear-stained face.

"So it's settled, then. Let's go find those dreamcatchers,"she declared with a forced return to her usual annoyingly positive voice.


	4. Chapter 4

Title:Hell Hath No Fury

Authoress:superhackaninja5

Rating:M

Summary:see chapter one

Warnings:see chapter one

Disclaimer:still don't own.

Ugh, god this took forever. College is a giant pain and I'm having sleeping problems so I can't think. This was probably trash.

Chapter 4

Regina hadn't slept.

She'd stayed at Gold's shop for hours, poring through his books to try and help figure out what Hook was up to until well after midnight before finally calling it quits. She, after all, had a son to take care of.

Henry had been in bed when she got home, but he hadn't been asleep. So, she'd gone into his room and told him everything about Emma and about Hook and how he'd taken Rumplestiltskin's blood. She wasn't going to be like Emma;she wasn't going to keep things from him anymore.

Needless to say, Henry hadn't been happy to hear that news-but Regina's assurances that she wouldn't let Hook anywhere near him had seemed to settle him enough that he was able to fall asleep not too long after she'd left his room.

His adoptive mother, on the other hand, hadn't been able to get an ounce of sleep: her eyes had stayed wide open the entire night, and, before she knew it, it was morning. A gray, gloomy morning that definitely did not bode well.

Breakfast was a subdued affair. Neither Regina nor Henry said a word, eating in complete silence until Regina's cell phone rang.

When Regina saw that it was Emma calling, she answered immediately. "Did you find anything?"she questioned without bothering with a proper greeting.

There was a crackle of static which Regina took to be Emma taking a breath.

"Gold thinks that Hook might be planning to use his blood in order to resurrect someone from the underworld,"the other woman stated after a brief pause, sounding as if she'd rather not be telling Regina this.

The Queen's brows knitted in a frown. "Can he do that?" she wondered with obvious scepticism.

Emma let out another sigh. "Apparently, he can, "she replied, "But we don't know if that is what he's going to do. Mary Margaret think my dreamcatchers might hold the answer, but I just realized there might be an easier way."

"And what might that be?" Regina shot back, sure she wasn't going to like whatever Emma said next.

And she was right.

"Zelena,"the former Saviour declared. "She helped Hook get his memories back and she helped him take me out of play. Maybe he told her something about his plans, or, at the very least, she might have an idea where he is. I know it won't be easy getting her to talk, but-"

"I'll find a way,"Regina cut her off firmly, making a split-second decision to go along with Emma's suggestion. No matter whether she liked it or not, it was definitely a better solution than trying to find the dreamcatchers. "I said I'd do anything to try and get rid of the darkness, and I meant it. But if Zelena does know where Hook is and she tells me, I'm not going to waste time talking: I'm going to hit him with everything I have."

"Regina,"Emma started, no doubt planning to try and discourage her-but the Queen hung up before she could say anything more.

Tucking her phone back into her pocket, Regina addressed her son.

"Henry, I want you to stay here. I have something I need to do,"she told him, her tone making it clear that this wasn't a request.

She could tell Henry wanted to argue, but something in her face must have changed his mind, because instead, he simply nodded. "Okay, Mom,"he consented, strangely not even asking what it was his mother needed to do-which was a first.

Normally, Regina would have made absolute sure that Henry was going to follow her instructions, but her mind was already onto the next order of business:how to locate her wicked half-sister and convince Zelena to help stop Hook.

She'd been searching for nearly an hour when she finally found the Wicked Witch in the most unlikely of places:sitting in a booth at Granny's diner with a steaming mug of something clutched in her green-gloved hands as she stared out of the window.

Her attention switched onto Regina as the Queen sat down across from her. "You don't look well at all, sis,"Zelena observed mockingly, feigning concern, "Had a rough night, did you?"

Regina clenched firsts. "You know full well what kind of night I've had;after all, it was partially your fault,"she all but spat back at her sister, eyes narrowed.

This brought a mirthless smile to the red-haired woman's lips. "Indeed, it was-but, unfortunately, I am not the real threat here, so why are you sitting down with me, instead of trying to save your doomed town from the new Dark One?"Zelena asked, arching a single copper-coloured eyebrow.

The other woman met her glinting eyes with a fierce stare. "I have some questions for you,"she stated, "And, if you're smart, you'll answer them honestly."

Zelena's other eyebrow rose to join the first.

"Is that supposed to be a threat?"she practically cackled, baring her teeth in an almost predatory grin. "And what makes you think I'm afraid of you?You've already made it clear that you won't kill me, so what have I to fear?"

Regina gritted her teeth:unfortunately, Zelena was right. Regina wouldn't kill her, so there was really no reason for her help. But the Queen refused to give up so easily.

"You're right,"she conceded. "I don't want to kill you-but there's every chance that Hook might. I doubt you'll be so blasé about this matter if that happens."

Strangely, this only seemed to amuse Zelena further.

"I'm afraid that's where you're wrong, Regina:Hook gave me his word that I'd be left alone as long as I didn't get in his way which I have no desire to do."

"And you trust him?"Regina scoffed incredulously. "Come on, Zelena, you aren't stupid. Just because you helped him doesn't mean Hook will spare you-but if you tell me what his plans are, you won't have to worry."

The red-haired woman shook her head. "Sorry, ' _Gina_ , but I couldn't help you with that even if I wanted to,"Zelena said coolly, still smiling. "Hook didn't tell me anything about his plans-only that he wants to hurt Emma for lying to him. And I wish him every success with that. 'Ta, dear."

With a last mocking wave, Zelena vanished in a puff of green smoke.

Regina slammed her palm down on the table top in frustration, swearing under her breath. That had been a complete waste of time:even if Zelena actually did know something, there was no chance she was going to tell Regina now. Evidently, she wanted Hook to succeed in hurting Emma, no matter how that was achieved.

Letting out an exasperated sigh, the Queen withdrew her cell from her coat pocket and sent Emma a text notifying her of her failure. She hoped the Charming's had better luck with finding the dreamcatchers because it looked like they were the town's only hope.

* * *

Emma wasn't having any luck. She'd searched everywhere she could think of that Killian might use as a hiding place for the dreamcatchers he'd stolen-but she hadn't found a single trace of them. She'd even looked in the clock tower in the town square-which was where she was now, seething with frustration.

There had to be something she was missing:either there was somewhere he could have hidden them that she _wasn't_ thinking of-or they were hidden in one of the places she'd already looked by magic that kept her from seeing them. In either case, having her own magic back would make this go a lot faster-but she knew that that wasn't going to happen.

The female Dark One let out a heavy, exasperated sigh. She knew she shouldn't expect anything from her friends or family after everything she'd done while the darkness had been clouding her mind, but she had been trying to get rid of it when everything had blown up in her face. And she couldn't let Hook die:putting the darkness in him had been the only way to save his life.

Unfortunately, he didn't seem to see it that way.

She pinched the bridge of her nose, forcing herself to think. What was she missing?Where hadn't she looked?

Well, there was Hook's ship, but she couldn't find that, either. Most likely, he was cloaking that, too.

Her eyes suddenly snapped open as a memory came back to her and she got an idea. She felt like hitting herself for not thinking of it sooner:she might not have had her magic, but she wasn't the only magic user in the family. Instead of sending Regina after Zelena, Emma should have gone to her and asked her to do a locator spell.

Of course, there was a chance that, if the dreamcatchers were being concealed by magic, the locator spell wouldn't work, either-but it was worth a shot. If it did work. It would make figuring out what Hook was going to do next a whole lot easier.

Emma inhaled deeply and pulled out her cellphone, dialing Regina's number for the second time that day. When she heard the line start to ring, she raised the sleek black device to her ear.

"If you're calling to ask what happened with Zelena, she was a dead end,"Henry's stepmother said when the line picked up, not bothering with any pleasantries or preamble.

The former let out another sigh. "Well, I wasn't really expecting her to be of any help,"she declared, "But that's not why I called. I think there's something else you can do."

There was a brief silence;no doubt Regina was considering all the possibilities of what Emma was about to ask her. "And what is that?"the Queen asked after a pause.

"Is there any way you could do a locator spell to try and find the dreamcatchers Hook took from me?"Emma replied hopefully. "There's got to be something in our memories that he doesn't want us to see. I would do the spell myself, but I still have that damn cuff on."She couldn't keep the reproachfulness out of her voice at that last part.

"I can,"Regina said at length. "But without much to go on, it may take a while. I assume you're not the only one still searching?"

"No. My parents and Gold are also on the lookout-but I doubt they're having any more luck than I am since I haven't heard from any of them since we left my house,"the other woman stated flatly, wishing that that wasn't the case.

Static crackled in her ears as Regina took a breath.

"Al right,"the Queen agreed, "I'll get started, then. I'll let you know if and when I find anything."

The line went dead.

Emma slid her phone back into her pocket, exhaling heavily. _This had better work_ , she thought to herself, limps compressing into a thin line. If her mother was right in thinking that her family's memories contained the information that would help stop Hook, then Emma really needed to find them-and the sooner, the better for her and everyone she cared about. She couldn't let what had happened to Leroy happen to anyone else.

Sadly, she had a terrible feeling that even if she was able to find out what her former lover was up to, she wasn't going to be able to do a damn thing about it.

* * *

None of the others were having any more luck than Emma was. David and Mary Margaret had searched the harbour, but they hadn't found a single thing.

had scoured the buildings on either side of his shop, the diner all the town's residents were so fond of, and the town square. He'd even brought along and had attempted to use some of the items in his shop to locate the dreamcatchers, but either they weren't anywhere anymore, or Hook had cloaked them somehow.

He was on the edge of the woods when one of the artifacts he was carrying had a reaction.

The pawnbroker pulled the item out of his jacket, examining it closely. It wasn't reacting to the presence of the dreamcatchers-no, it was reacting to something else. Something was off here. There was a disturbance somewhere in the vicinity-a disturbance that seemed to be coming from the nearby pond.

A frown wrinkled his weathered forehead. He'd never sensed any dark magic coming from here before-and he'd lived in this town for quite a long while now. Whatever was causing this disturbance, it was recent.

He stepped closer to the small body of murky water and extended his hand out over the surface while closing his eyes;he still had enough magic left in him that he might be able to discover what exactly was causing the disturbance.

Darkness swirled through his mind, reaching out to it with thick, dilapidated tendrils;smoke as black as charcoal filled his vision-and then, suddenly, he was back at the pond, only it was night and Hook was there.

The new Dark One was in the same spot Rumplestiltskin was currently, but he was kneeling on the grass, his bloodstained hook hovering over the surface of the water.

Rumplestiltskin watched, bewildered, as Killian plunged the curved metal into the pond, submerging it almost all the way up to his elbow.

Rivulets of red rippled out around it, twisting and writhing like crimson snakes-and then, the water began to boil.

He saw the pirate straighten up, removing his hook from the water and getting to his feet as the water slowly but surely morphed into a haunting shade of black.

He saw wisps of fog suddenly fill the air, billowing out through the trees and furthering his sense of foreboding.

Then, it came.

From the other side of the pond, a sinister obsidian boat appeared, a small lantern dangling from its prow, and a single passenger stationed at its stern-a passenger who was clad from head to foot in a hooded copper-coloured cloak.

"Bloody hell,"Rumplestiltskin heard the blue-eyed man whisper, mirroring Gold's thoughts exactly;although Hook's exclamation sounded more awed than horrified.

He watched as the boat came to a stop at the edge of the pond and the passenger stepped off, sauntering casually forward to meet Hook-who greeted them like an old friend.

As Hook and the newcomer departed, Gold took the opportunity to further examine the boat behind them.

With a jolt, he realized he recognized it-and it was no ordinary boat. It was a ferry-Charon's ferry. The ferry that carried souls between the land of the living and the underworld.

His eyes flew open. The events he'd just witnessed had just taken on a whole new significance. He realized his suspicions had been correct:Hook had indeed brought someone back from the dead.

The question was who?

* * *

A smirk stole over the new Dark One's lips as he watched his former love and her family and reluctant allies try to figure out what he was up to;they all seemed to think that his murdering the dwarf was just a prelude to something worse.

Well, they were right about that.

However, they were too late to do anything about it, and they were wasting their time searching for Emma's dreamcatchers. Even if they had contained the information the Charmings were currently looking for, they still weren't going to be of any help:the first thing Hook had done after removing those things from Emma's shed was use his newfound powers to reduce them all to dust. Emma had never planned on giving anyone back their memories, after all-he was just honouring her wishes.

Rumplestiltskin, on the other hand, wasn't as foolish as the rest of them were. He'd seemed to be able to sense what Hook had done when he'd come across the pond where the portal to the underworld lay-or at least, one of the magical artifacts he'd been carrying around with him had-and, by now he probably knew exactly what Hook had done.

Still, the pirate was unruffled. He hadn't expected his schemes to stay secret forever. And, even if Rumplestiltskin knew that Hook had brought someone back from the dead, there was no way he or anyone else would be able to guess who. Everything was still going the way he wanted it to. It was the perfect time to make his next move, while all the people who were dumb enough to be trying to fight him were busy running around like chickens with their heads cut off.

It was the perfect time to reveal the identity of the person he'd brought back to help him destroy them all.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

It was almost an hour later when Regina called Emma back with the results of her locator spell.

"It's faint, but the spell seems to think your dreamcatchers are in the harbour somewhere;I'm assuming Hook's ship,"the Queen informed Emma matter-of-factly.

The former Saviour's forehead wrinkled in a frown.

"I've already been to the harbour, though:Hook's ship is cloaked. I can't find it,"Emma stated helplessly, wringing her free hand.

Regina bit her lip. "Well, maybe I could go back down there with you and see if I can do anything about that,"she suggested. "You know, since you still can't use your magic."

Emma had to stop herself from snapping at the reminder of her current powerlessness. "Okay,"she agreed in lieu of any other options. "I'm just outside the clock tower. I'll be there in a few minutes."

Hearing the line go dead, Emma tucked her phone back into her pocket and began to make her way back to the harbour. She really hopped that Regina's spell was right-although, if it was, and Hook was on his ship when they got there, they were most likely going to have a fight on their hands because Hook was hardly just going to give them the dreamcatchers back.

Emma let out a heavy sigh, hunching her shoulders against an involuntary shiver. Her leather shirt was thick enough to keep out the unusually frigid morning air;but Emma was pretty sure the chill in her bones had nothing to do with the weather.

When she arrived at the harbour, she found Regina waiting for her by one of the docks, hands deep in the pockets of her black peacoat. But what Emma's attention was drawn to was the familiar ship moored next her.

"I thought you said Hook's ship was being cloaked,"the dark-haired woman said by way of a greeting, cocking an eyebrow as the former Saviour approached her with an obvious frown.

"It was,"the blonde woman insisted, staring at the _Jolly Roger_ with a mixture of confusion and suspicion. She didn't understand:when she'd searched the harbour an hour ago, she hadn't seen the ship. Yet, there it was, completely visible.

Something told her that that wasn't exactly a good thing.

Oblivious to her foreboding, Regina also turned in the direction of the familiar vessel, absently tucking a stray lock of dark hair behind her ear. "Well, either the spell wasn't meant to hold for very long-or Hook decided he wanted us to be able to see his ship again for some reason,"she mused thoughtfully, narrowing her eyes.

She looked back at Emma. "Still want to do this?"she asked, her other eyebrow rising to join the first.

The blonde took a deep breath, weighing her options. There was a strong possibility that Hook might be leading them into a trap-but this was the only way she could think of to figure out what his plan was. Even if she didn't find her dreamcatchers, if Hook was there, she might at least be able to get a clue.

Setting her jaw, she tilted her head forward in a nod. "I have to,"she said, striding determinedly past Regina and up the stairs leading to the ship's deck.

The Queen let out a slightly exasperated sigh and, against her better judgement, began to follow. She was pretty sure that this was going to turn out to be a trap of some sort;but since Emma was currently without her magic, she wouldn't be able to protect herself-and Henry would never forgive Regina if something bad happened to his birth mother. So, as bad an idea as it was, Regina really had no choice but to keep going.

The _Jolly Roger_ 's deck was empty when the two women climbed aboard:empty and dark-much darker than the rest of the surrounding area. Hardly any light touched the wood surface, making it quite difficult to see-but it was quite obvious that the dreamcatchers weren't there. Hook wouldn't just leave them out in the open like that, even with his ship cloaked;they were most likely in one of the lower cabins.

Emma didn't waste time talking before making her way down there, practically running down the stairs into the cabin area without waiting for her companion-which she really should have done. If she had, Regina might have been able to tell her that they were not alone.

But instead, it was the sound of voices that alerted her to that fact:two distinct, accented voices that were both coming from the captain's quarters.

Another frown wrinkled her white forehead:she easily recognized Hook's voice-but the other…

She turned in the direction of the room and stepped over the threshold-where her frown turned into an expression of horror.

" _Pan?_ "she exclaimed in a strangled voice, unable to believe her eyes when she saw who else was in the room. She hadn't been truly convinced that he would be able to bring someone back from the dead, but now she was seeing living proof;however, Peter Pan was the last person she'd ever expected Killian to resurrect.

Regina had a similar reaction when she joined Emma in the doorway of the captain's quarters and caught sight of the familiar lanky brunette. Her eyes went uncharacteristically wide. "No,"she hissed, face contorting unpleasantly.

The former ruler of Neverland smirked.

"We have guests, Captain,"he announced with a distinctly mocking tone to his silky British accent. He turned to the two women, expression turning almost predatory when his gaze met Emma's, "They don't seem nearly as happy to see me as you did,"

Killian sauntered out of the shadows, coming to stand next to the green-eyed immortal in a strangely companionable manner. "Well, that's a shame,"he commented with feigned disappointment. "And here I thought we were all going to have a nice little reunion."

His former lover's horrified stare fell on him.

"Killian, what the hell have you done?"Emma said faintly, hardly able to get the words out-her shock was that severe.

A smirk to match Pan's spread over the Dark One's lips.

"The best thing I've done in years,"he shot back smoothly, his eyes like chips of ice as they met hers. There was no mercy there:that was an expression Emma had never thought she'd see him wear again. Her shock actually caused her to take a step back.

"You don't mean that,"she said, shaking her head in fierce denial.

The Dark One advanced slowly toward her, looking for all the world like a hunter closing in on its prey.

"Oh, but I do, Swan,"he insisted, and there was more danger in the softness of his words than in the deadliest of spells. He continued, still moving closer: "You see, these powers of mine have helped me to finally see the truth:that falling in love with you was the worst mistake I ever made. That, all this time, you've been nothing more than an _anchor_ , keeping me from being what I really am. But Pan, well, he's done a lot of things to me, but he's never lied-and he's never tried to stop me from getting what I want. So I brought him back, because I knew that he was the best person to hurt you-like you hurt me."

As he finished, he came to a halt, his face mere inches away from Emma's and twisted into an expression of pure venom.

Emma recoiled, physically pained by the amount of hatred in his voice:she didn't think she'd ever heard him talk like that before. At least, not to her. She didn't know how to handle it:she didn't want to believe that that was really how he felt.

Taking advantage of her silence, Pan let out a cold, mirthless laugh.

"Looks like your luck's finally run out, Saviour,"he sneered. His unearthly, swirling emerald eyes turned to Regina. "Even the Evil Queen won't be enough to stop me now that the new Dark One is on _my_ side. I hope you weren't too attached to your old life because I don't think you're ever getting it back."

"We'll see about that,"Regina retorted aggressively, stepping up since Emma seemed to be too upset to form words, meeting Pan's gleaming eyes without flinching.

Killian's smirk widened.

"You think you're strong enough to beat both of us?"the new Dark One commented, his glare turning derisive as he finally moved it away from Emma. He bared his teeth challengingly. "Bring it on, _Your Highness_."

He turned back to Emma. "And if you came here looking for your dreamcatchers, you're a little late. I already destroyed every last one of them."

Emma sagged against the doorframe, feeling her heart stutter in her chest. That had been their best chance of figuring out how to stop all of this;now she didn't know what she and her family were going to do.

"Killian, please,"she pleaded desperately, at a loss for what else to say. "I know I hurt you, but you don't have to do this. Whatever deal you've made with Pan, you know he's just going to screw you over in the end. Stop it now before it's too late."

Hook didn't bother pretending that he was even considering what she was saying. "The only deal Peter and I made was for him to help me destroy what's left of this accursed little town;he didn't ask for anything in return,"the Dark One revealed. "He wants to hurt you just as much as I do, so I don't think there is a way for him to ''screw me over''-and, even if there was, it wouldn't hurt half as bad as what you did."

Next to him, Pan's Stygian emerald orbs flashed with what looked sickeningly like amusement.

"I don't think you're getting through to him, Emma,"he quipped with mock sympathy. "Maybe you should stop wasting your time."

"Hook,"Regina decided to give it a shot, but Hook cut her off before she could say anything more.

"You heard Pan:nothing _either_ of you have to say can change what's happened-or what's going to happen,"he declared bluntly. "If I were the two of you, I would go spend time with what's left of your loved ones while you still can because soon you won't have them anymore. Now kindly leave my ship-unless you want to die right now."

Without waiting for a response, Hook flicked his gloved fingers and a cloud of crimson smoke suddenly engulfed the two women;the last thing they heard before the inside of the _Jolly Roger_ vanished from view was Pan's lilting accent calling out: " _Give my regards to Henry!"_

The smoke deposited them back at the town square where they came tumbling out onto the ground in a heap. They both got to their feet, Regina brushing off the back of her coat and Emma frowning with obvious distress. Both women were still replaying the events of the last half hour in their heads.

"Well, that wasn't a total bust,"the Queen was the first one to speak with an uncharacteristic stab at optimism. "We may not have found your dreamcatchers, but at least we know what we're dealing with now. We've faced Pan before and won-we can do so again."

Emma wasn't immediately forthcoming with a response, still much too caught up in her horror at finding out what Hook had done. She still couldn't believe that he'd brought back Peter Pan, of all people, just to help torture her. She'd known whatever Hook's plan was, she wasn't going to like it, but she'd never imagined this.

She realized bitterly that that had probably been exactly what her former lover had been counting on:that the surprise of his action would make it hurt all the more.

Also, too, what Pan had said just before Killian had sent them away was still ringing in her ears. Pan knew, perhaps better than anyone, that Henry was her-and Regina's-greatest weakness. There was no telling what Pan might do now that he and Hook were working together:either of them could be planning to go after Henry.

The blonde shook her head dismally and, after a long, subdued silence, finally voiced her thoughts. "We had Hook on _our_ side last time-and Gold still had his powers. Gold was the one to kill Pan with the Dark One dagger;now we don't have the dagger, Gold no longer has his powers and Hook's the new Dark One _and_ working _with_ Pan. So how exactly do you suppose we're going to beat him?"she shot back coldly, forehead creasing even further.

Her companion sighed. She wasn't used to having to be the positive one between them:she wasn't too sure she liked it.

"Look,"she said, trying to keep the impatience out of her voice. "I get that you're hurting right now-what Hook did and what he said back there was awful. But let's not forget that this is _your_ mess, and standing there and feeling sorry for yourself isn't going to get it cleaned up any faster. We may not have the Dark One dagger or Gold's powers, but we can still stop Pan. I know we can."

Emma spread her palms in a gesture of helplessness. "And how do you propose we do that?"she queried, arching her eyebrows sceptically.

Regina pressed her lips together. "I don't know,"she admitted. "But the first thing we need to do is let everyone else know what's just happened. Call your parents-I'll call Gold."

Knowing she was right, Emma nodded and duly withdrew her phone from her pocket, pressing and holding 1 on her speed dial.

Her father picked up on the first ring. " _Did you find the dreamcatchers_?"David asked by way of a greeting, sounding hopeful but like he wasn't really expecting the answer to be yes.

Casting a sideways glance at Regina-who was now calling Rumplestiltskin-the former Savior took a deep break before answering. "They're gone, Dad. Hook destroyed them all. And that's not even the worst part."She paused, then forced herself to continue. "Gold was right:Hook did use his blood to bring someone back from the dead. And Regina and I just found out who."

She heard her father give a sharp intake of breath. "Who?"the prince asked warily, now sounding as if he didn't really want to know the answer. Emma could understand that:she didn't really want to know herself. But she did, and she knew everyone else had to as well.

So she told him. "Pan,"she stated, hands trembling with suppressed emotion. "He brought back Peter Pan."

" _Welcome back to Storybrooke, mate."_

 _A smile curved the boy's lips when he heard that familiar Irish brogue and saw who was waiting for him at the edge of the pond. "Well, well, Killian,"Peter Pan drawled with an emotion he'd rarely felt before:shock."For once, you've surprised me. Of all the ways I imagined coming back from the dead, you being the one to make it happen was pretty far down the list."_

 _Even more surprising was the answering smile the other man gave him as he removed his hood. "Things have changed since you died,"Hook declared, an enigmatic gleam in his blue eyes. "I'm not the same man I used to be."_

 _The brunette let out a quiet snicker, noting the aura of shadows surrounding his companion. "Obviously,"he commented, waggling his eyebrows and sauntering closer to the former pirate. "Let me guess:your_ precious _Emma finally betrayed you and now you want my help to make her pay?"_

 _Killian couldn't help but let out a soft laugh of his own. Pan knew him well. "She lied to me, made me a Dark One when I begged her not to and then took away my memories,"he explained, an acid note creeping into his accent. "You were the only one I could think of who could make her feel the same pain that she caused me."_

 _Peter's brows arched up higher when Hook mentioned being made into a Dark One;that explained how he'd been able to get the former ruler of Neverland out of the underworld. It also explained the darkness in Killian's eyes. Peter had only seen that look once before-when the pirate had been doing his bidding in order to get revenge on Rumplestiltskin._

 _This was a fortuitous turn of events, Peter mused thoughtfully. He had an opportunity here:an opportunity to not only make all the people who'd had a hand in his death suffer for what they'd done to him, but also to make Killian his again._

 _Of course, things would be different this time:he doubted the Dark One would be content with just being his employee again. But that was fine-he could find a way to work around that._

 _Killian would probably be suspicious if he accepted outright, though-so he couldn't make it that easy._

 _He took another step forward, leaning in so his and Hook's noses were nearly touching. "I'm flattered, Killian,"he commented, batting his eyes under those abnormally long lashes of his. "But you know me:my help always comes with a price-even when it's an old friend like you asking."_

 _The dark-haired man didn't flinch:he'd been expecting that. And he was ready for it. "Whatever you want, it's yours,"he stated without hesitation or reservations, shrugging his shoulders._

 _Pan's eyes flashed. That was a very dangerous thing to say. Killian must have really wanted to make his former lover suffer if he didn't care what he had to give the eternal boy in order to get his help with doing so._

 _The brunette grinned, looking like a predator that had just caught its prey. Truth be told, he'd been waiting for this. He'd known it would only be a matter of time before Emma made Killian see what Peter had always known:she was no good for him and would never really accept him for what he really was. Not like Peter would._

 _Of course, he'd never expected that she'd make him into a Dark One. But that was just a perk._

 _He gripped the lapels of the other man's leather jacket and was pleased when Killian didn't try to pull away. "The Saviour really did a number on you, didn't she?"the green-eyed boy observed softly, cocking his head to the side. He let out another snicker. "Well, I'm all too happy to be a part of making her suffer for it. What did you have in mind?"_

The Dark One turned back to his new partner, his smirk once again firmly in place. "Well, that went exactly as planned,"he declared smugly, eyes gleaming with unconcealed mirth.

Pan let out a quiet snicker. "You played your part perfectly, Captain. I dare say you may have even succeeded in convincing the Saviour that you're a lost cause,"he commented.

"Oh, she'll never believe I'm a lost cause-not really, not with that annoying positivity her entire family is always trying to force down everyone's throat,"Killian pointed out disparagingly. Then, his smirk turned wolfish. "But then, that's exactly what I'm banking on;it'll make it just that much more crushing when I kill everyone she loves, take away her magic and leave her alone and powerless, with no one to blame for her misery but herself. I'll make her and everyone else wish she'd let me die when Excalibur cut me."

The brunette arched his eyebrows at the complete and utter lack of mercy in the former pirate's tone-and his face. That ruthlessness had never been present in him before-not to this degree, not even when Hook had first brought Peter back to life. Peter had thought it was darkness he was seeing then, but Hook was taking it to an all new level now. He might have even been close to being on par with Pan himself.

Pan sauntered closer to the other man, tongue coming out wet those stunningly pink lips of his. "So you've let the Saviour know you resurrected me. What's next?"he asked with genuine curiosity.

The Dark One seemed to consider the question for a moment before answering. "She'll be looking for a way to get rid of you again,"he said matter-of-factly. "But without the Dark One dagger, I'm assuming they'll just be spinning their wheels. So, while they're distracted, I can make sure that the one person who might be able to defeat us stays out of our way."

His companion stared at him, picking apart his words. He knew what Killian meant by that-and he approved. Now that Hook was a Dark One, diabolical plans should be his specialty-and he definitely wasn't disappointing in that regard.

"Have fun,"the demon boy waved him off, showing his pointed, white teeth.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

They met in the Sheriff's station, Emma, Regina, and the rest of their extended family, to discuss this latest development-and their next move.

David shook his head at the obvious distress on his daughter's face. "I can't believe this,"he declared, jaw working furiously to contain his anger. "How could Hook bring back Pan after everything he's done?"

The former Saviour clenched her fists in her lap, fighting to keep them from shaking, and to keep herself from crying. She couldn't afford to fall to pieces again;no matter how much she wanted to, she needed to stay calm so she could figure a way out of this-one that wouldn't require magic.

"He said he did it because he knew Pan was the best person to hurt me-and he was right,"Emma said bitterly.

Regina cut in. "It doesn't matter _why_ Hook brought Pan back, only that he did;now _both_ of them are going to be coming after us, and we need to find a way to stop them."

She looked at Rumplestiltskin. "You defeated Pan last time, Gold. Got any ideas how to do it again?"

Rumplestiltskin's brows furrowed as he considered the question, just as he had been doing ever since Regina had called him and told him of Pan's return. Truth be told, he didn't know if there was a way to defeat Pan a second time;the Dark One dagger had been the only way of killing him, and Rumplestiltskin no longer had that.

And, even if he had had it, there was no guarantee that it would work again. He wasn't very well-versed in the logistics of coming back from the dead, but from his experience, he knew the resurrected were generally not the same people they'd been when they died-which meant, for all any of them knew, Pan could be even more dangerous now than before he'd died.

"Not yet,"the former Dark One said with the air of someone having to admit something extremely unpleasant, gripping the top of his cane slightly tighter than necessary. "I won't know how to fight him until I know whether or not being in the underworld altered his powers. It scrambled mine;for all we know, it could have enhanced his."

Regina pursed her lips. Now there was a grim prospect:dying could have made Pan stronger?She really hoped that wasn't the case.

Next to her, Mary Margaret frowned. "Well, how are we supposed to know if that's the case or not without getting attacked by him or something?"the princess asked.

Rumplestiltskin inhaled deeply. "Unfortunately, there is no way of finding that out until he and Hook make their next move. I doubt very much that killing people who matter to Miss Swan is all they plan to do now that they've teamed up."

"So, what?You want us to just sit around and wait to see what they do next?"Regina queried, clearly not liking that idea.

Her former mentor shot her a censuring look. "If you've got a better plan, now would be the time to share it."

"We can't just do nothing,"Emma cut in vehemently, forehead creasing with obvious frustration. "If I could just talk to Hook without Pan, or anyone else around-"

"You already tried reasoning with him. What makes you think this time will be any different?"Rumplestiltskin interrupted, shaking his head.

"Well, at least it would be better than letting someone else get hurt,"Emma pointed out, lips thinning.

"We don't need to let anyone else get hurt,"Mary Margaret piped up. "We can put some protection spells or something on everyone, right?"She shot a hopeful look at Gold and Regina.

The two resident magic users shared a look before the dark-haired woman answered. "It might require some work, but we can try."

Mary Margaret gave them a determined smile. "So, let's get started, then,"she said, side-eyeing her daughter.

"We'll probably need some things form your shop if we're going to try and defend ourselves against the Dark One,"Regina stated, turning to Gold with a pointed look.

"Well, then, I guess I better go and find these things,"the pawnshop owner replied, rising out of his chair and exiting the diner.

Regina slid out of the booth soon after, getting to her feet

"I'm just going to check on Henry, then we can meet at Gold's shop and start putting the protection spell together,"she told Mary Margaret before mimicking her mentor and leaving the diner, too.

At the mention of her son's name, Emma tensed in her seat. Pan had brought up Henry when she and Regina had encountered him on the _Jolly Roger_. She really hoped that that didn't mean what she thought it did, and that Henry was okay.

Deciding she needed to find out for herself, she mimicked Regina and Gold and got out of the booth herself, exiting the diner and heading out in the same direction as the Queen.

It turned out that Emma didn't need to go all the way to Regina's house in order to see their son;she got half way there when she ran into him out on the street.

"Mom!"the brown-haired boy exclaimed, running over to her immediately. "I was just coming to find you."

"Henry, you shouldn't be out here alone,"Emma chastised him, lines of worry firmly etched into her white forehead. She took a deep breath, and, knowing that Henry would want an explanation, elaborated. "I don't know if Regina told you, but Hook is a Dark One now. He's going after all the people I care about, and he's resurrected Peter Pan to help him do it."

Whatever Henry had been planning to say next died in his throat when he heard those words. That was definitely not what he had been expected his mom to say.

He swallowed hard, trying to keep his voice from trembling. "What do you think he'll do to me?"

Emma lifted her black-clad shoulders in a helpless shrug. "We don't know what either of them are going to do. Gold thinks Pan might even be more powerful than he was before, and that makes him even more unpredictable and dangerous. He might kill you. He might try to turn you into one of his Lost Boys again. We're trying to find a way to stop him, but I don't know if anything is going to work."

Henry hated the dejectedness in his mother's tone. He hadn't heard her talk like that in the longest time;he thought she'd learned how to believe in herself and in her family. But becoming a Dark One had ruined all of that. He knew she needed something to cling onto, something that would give her hope again.

Luckily, he knew exactly what to do.

He laid a hand on her shoulder and gave it a comforting squeeze.

"It's okay, mom. At least you trusted grandma and grandpa and everyone else to help you, instead of trying do everything yourself,"he said in a consoling tone. "And now, you'll have your magic, too."

He reached out with his free hand and removed the length of leather that was currently suppressing Emma's powers from around her wrist.

Or tried to, at least.

The cuff wouldn't budge. No matter how hard Henry tugged on it, the enchanted leather refused to relinquish its grip. In fact, the more he tried, the tighter it seemed to cling to his mother's wrist.

The brown-haired boy's brows furrowed. "That shouldn't be happening,"he declared with obvious consternation. "Should it?"

Emma shook her head. For one foolish moment, she'd actually believed that she was going to get her magic back, and that she would finally be able to fix everything. She should have known better than to think it would be so easy.

She sighed, raising her wrist to eye-level so she could examine the cuff.

"Hook or Zelena must have done something to it to make it impossible to remove. Neither of them would want me to ever get my magic back, after all,"she concluded, dropping her arm to her side in resignation.

Henry offered her an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, mom."

"It's not your fault, Henry,"Emma waved away his apology, a rueful smile on her pale lips. She took a deep breath. "We'll just have to hope that the others can figure out a way to stop {an and Hook before either of them can come after you."

Henry smiled back at her, his considerably brighter. "I'm not afraid. I know that, even without your magic, you'll be able to protect me,"he said confidently.

Emma didn't want to take away his hope, so she didn't argue with him. Instead, she just put her arm around him and steered him in the direction of Gold's shop. "Come on, kid. Your other mom went to go check on you, so I better let her know where you are."

She used her other hand to pull her cell phone out of her pocket and send a text message to Regina, letting out a quiet breath of relief. Henry was all right;now she just had to make sure he stayed that way.

"Henry!"Regina called out as she walked through her front door, removing her coat and throwing it onto the metal hook embedded in the wall next to it.

When she didn't receive an immediate response, she didn't think anything of it. Henry was probably just in his room or something and hadn't heard him;so she moved to the foot of the staircase that lead to the upper levels of the house and repeated herself.

"Henry!"she called again, raising her voice.

This time, when no one answered, she felt a prickle of unease. She climbed up the stairs in a rush, making a beeline straight for Henry's bedroom.

The door was open when she reached it, and, when she looked inside, Henry was nowhere to be found.

A frown wrinkled her forehead. She'd told him to stay in the house;where had he gone?

She turned away from the empty chamber, intent on searching the rest of the house;then, she noticed her office door was open as well, and there appeared to be a distinctly human shape inside.

Her frown deepened as she peered through the partially open door. There was no way that form belonged to Henry-it was much too tall-so who could it be?

She reached out and put her hand on the door, slowly pushing it further open, inch by inch, so she had time to mentally prepare herself. But nothing could have prepared her for what she found inside.

"Good afternoon, Your Highness,"the new Dark One greeted her with mock friendliness from his position behind her desk.

Regina instantly went on the offensive, conjuring a fireball into one of her hands, and aiming it warningly in Hook's direction.

"What are you doing here?"she demanded furiously, trying in vain to keep her voice from shaking. "What have you done with Henry?"

A cold sneer twisted the pirate's lips at the ill-concealed franticness in Regina's voice. He could understand:she was worried about her son. But that didn't mean he wasn't going use that weakness against her.

"Don't worry, I haven't laid a hand on him,"Hook assured her carelessly. "Fortunately, the lad stepped out just as I was stepping inside, so he's fine-and, as long as you listen to what I have to say, he'll stay that."

The Queen's brown eyes narrowed distrustfully. "What do you want?"she questioned in a tone that made it clear she was in no mood for games.

Hook leaned casually back in his chair, malice swirling in his steel-blue eyes. "I came here to give you a chance,"he stated honestly, but still with a faint mocking edge to his voice that left his words open to interpretation.

Regina raised the hand with the fireball in it, scowling at the cryptic statement. "And what the hell is that supposed to mean?"

The Dark One didn't seem at all bothered by the threatening way Regina was pointing that fireball at him. In fact, he seemed almost amused.

"I'm giving you a one-time offer:stay out of my way, and I'll leave you and your precious son unharmed when I burn this town to the ground,"Hook stated, eyes gleaming with a malevolence she hadn't seen in him in the longest time;his voice was so low, so dark that she hardly recognized it.

Her frown returned. She probably shouldn't have even been contemplating taking his offer, but Henry was the most important thing to her;she would do anything to keep him safe.

But there was no guarantee Hook would keep his word. And…"What about your new partner in crime?"she quipped, placing a hand on her hip. "Will he leave Henry alone?"

Hook's lips pulled back in a facsimile of a smile, baring his teeth. "I'll convince him."

A chill went down Regina's spine at the cold, callous way he responded to her question. He didn't even sound like he cared one way or the other, making it clearer than ever that this was no longer the Killian that had fought by their side against Peter Pan last time, or the one who had risked everything to help them fight the Wicked Witch and all the other villains that had besieged Storybrooke over the last year and a half. No, this was the pirate, bent on nothing but revenge. This was the villain.

Which begged the question:why did he need her out of the way?

She was about to ask that, when the sound of her phone buzzing interrupted.

"Answer it,"the pirate told her. "I'll give you twenty-four hours to think over my proposal;but after that, it will be open season on everyone in this town-including your precious Henry."

With that, he vanished.

Her heart pounding in her ears, Regina reached into her pocket and withdrew her cellphone to see who was trying to contact her.

It turned out to be Emma texting her to say that Henry was safe with her, and they were heading to Gold's shop to meet with the others.

Regina let out an audible sigh of relief;at least Hook had been telling the truth about that. But his offer…

She didn't know what to think about that. What was he planning?And was it really worth incurring the disapproval of the rest of the town in order to keep Henry out of the crossfire of whatever it was?


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Emma and Henry arrived at Gold's shop together, finding Rumplestiltskin, Belle, David, and Mary Margaret already hard at work trying to create the protection spell; only Mary Margaret looked up when they entered.

"I thought you and Regina both went to go check on Henry?" she said, raising an eyebrow at her stepmother's absence.

Emma shrugged.

"Henry came to find me. I texted Regina when we met up, but she hasn't responded yet. She must still be at her house for some reason."

A frown wrinkled Mary Margaret's white forehead. "You don't think Hook went after her?" she stated, eyes wide with fear at the possibility.

"I don't know," Emma replied honestly. She pulled out her phone, selected Regina from her contacts and hit the call button. "I'm going to try calling her."

She held the device up to her ear, heart in her throat.

The line rang-but it didn't sound like it was coming from the phone. It sounded like it was coming from behind her.

The door of Rumplestiltskin's office opened, and Emma turned around in time to see Regina enter, her ringing cellphone clutched in her right hand.

Emma hung up her phone, staring at Regina with a mix of relief and confusion.

"What happened to you?" she asked.

Regina went over to Henry and pulled him into a tight hug before answering. "Hook paid me a visit. I didn't get your message until after he left."

"Did he do anything to you?" the former Saviour questioned.

Regina shook her head.

"He just wanted to make a point, to show me that he could get to me or Henry whenever he wanted." She shot her son a furtive glance. "For once, I'm actually glad that Henry didn't listen to me and left the house. I don't know what I would have done if Hook had hurt you."

Despite the tenseness of the situation, Henry couldn't help but grin slightly at that comment as he returned his mother's embrace.

Emma, on the other hand, wasn't amused.

"If Hook can get into your house, then this protection has to be placed there, too. We can't take the chance of him showing up when Henry is there, and you aren't-especially since I can't get magic back and I can't protect him."

The Queen turned to her with a frown.

"What do you mean, you _can't_ get your magic back?" she asked.

"I tried to remove the cuff for her, but it didn't work," Henry answered for Emma, lifting one of his shoulders in a helpless shrug. "Hook must have done something to it to make it impossible for Emma to get her magic back."

"So, I'm basically useless now," the former Saviour finished morosely, her pale hands curling into fists at her sides.

Mary Margaret came up next to her and laid a consoling hand on her shoulder. "That's not true, Emma," she said soothingly.

Emma let out a heavy sigh. She appreciated her mother's effort to make her feel better, but she knew Mary Margaret was lying to both of them. Without her magic, Emma couldn't do much of anything anymore.

Not wanting to dwell on it, though-and not wanting to discourage her mother-Emma decided to change the subject.

"So, how do we do this?" she asked Rumplestiltskin, walking back over to his desk, where had had assembled all of the items they, presumably, were going to need for the protecting spell.

The shop owned picked up a glass vial filled with some sort of bubbling blue liquid and pulled the stopper out of it.

"It's a little like the spell I gave Belle to defend the town while we were in Neverland: it will keep Hook and Pan from harming us and the rest of the town," he explained, pouring the blue liquid into an incredibly old-looking black stone bowl before adding, "But only temporarily."

The others all shared a grim look at those last words. This wasn't going to be a permanent solution, then-just a temporary fix.

"How long?" Regina said, asking the question that was on everyone's mind as she folded her arms across her chest.

Rumplestiltskin wasn't immediately forthcoming with an answer, seeming to be consulting some sort of mental calculator while he and Belle added some more of the spell's ingredients into the bowl.

"With this amount, I would say about a week," he declared after a rather long pause, crushing what looked like a silver egg in his hand and sprinkling it over the now smoking concoction. "Give or take a few days, depending on the strength of the caster and the number of people who require protection."

Emma pressed her lips together. A little over a week was all the spell would last? That was a lot less than she was hoping for: she didn't know if seven days would be enough to figure out how to stop both Hook and Pan. Especially if their suspicions were correct, and Pan _did_ turn out to be more powerful than before he'd died.

Unfortunately, though, this was all they had.

There was silent again for another few moments while Belle stirred the contents of the bowl, blending the ingredients together. Slowly, the liquid began to boil, and the steam rising off of it began to turn a virulent, silver colour.

Rumplestiltskin stopped her, then, taking the stir stick from her hand and pointing it at Regina.

"It's up to you now, Your Highness," he picked up an open book from his desk and held it out to her. "Recite the words on this page and it will activate the protection spell."

The sorceress took the book from him carefully, and, taking a deep breath, she began to read the words written in it aloud.

" _By the power of this guardian_

 _By the strength of the light within_

 _Dispel the darkness_

 _Keep it from those I deem worthy_

 _Protect them from evil_

 _And those who would do them harm."_

As she recited the incantation, the liquid in the bowl began to evaporate, morphing into a thick amber vapour that rapidly filled the entirety of the room.

"Look," Henry declared, eyes widening; when the vapour reached the walls, it seemed to seep through them and continued to spread as if there weren't any walls at ball.

The inhabitants of the shop watched with mixed relief and bemusement as the vapour blanketed the entire town, permeating the air as far as the eye could see. Even by Gold's standards, that was pretty impressive.

"That is a lot like the spell you gave me when you were in Neverland," Belle commented to her husband. "Only the smoke wasn't that colour."

Regina turned away from the window to face Rumplestiltskin with a raised eyebrow. "So, is that it? Did it work?"

Her former mentor inclined his head.

"Unless Hook somehow finds a way to get around it we should all be safe-at least, for the next week or so."

* * *

Hook saw the amber smoke cover the town as he reappeared aboard his ship after leaving Regina's house, and an inexplicable smile curved his lips. Somehow, he knew instinctively what it was-and he knew it wasn't going to make any difference to his grand scheme.

He got the feeling that, if he really wanted to, he could find a way around a protection spell. Or Pan could, if he deemed it prudent. There wasn't much that could stop them anymore.

It was interesting; Hook hadn't wanted this dark power, but, now that he had it, it felt like it was always meant to be his. It felt like something had been sleeping inside of him all of his life and it had just been awoken.

He was seeing everything differently now, like a filter had been removed from his eyes or something. And he was stronger, more fluid, and more cold-hearted than he'd ever been before.

That last part probably should have concerned him, but, truthfully, the absence of emotion was kind of a relief. It meant that guilt wouldn't get in the way of what he had planned.

And, speaking of which, it was high time he moved onto his next phase.

The Dark One inhaled deeply and returned to his cabin belowdecks, where he found Pan waiting for him-and he wasn't alone.

"I brought you a gift, Killian," the former ruler of Neverland greeted him cheerfully, throwing a bound and gagged Archie to the floor at his feet.

The smile already on Hook's lips turned crooked as he crouched down in front of the familiar figure, feeling a profound sense of déjà vu at the sight before.

"Well, doesn't this feel like history repeating itself," he commented with a soft, mirthless chuckle. "It's been a long time, cricket. I would have thought you'd been killed or left by now-but, since you're still here, it looks like we get to have some more fun together."

Seeing the unconcealed fear in the therapist's eyes, Hook leaned forward, laying his good hand on the man's shoulder, as if to reassure him. "Don't worry; my imagination's gotten a lot better since our last encounter."

Pan leaned back against the far wall, Stygian emerald orbs glinting sinisterly as the Dark One went to work on his captive.

An hour later, the floor of the _Jolly Roger'_ s brig was covered in blood.

Archie was still alive, but he looked like he probably wished he wasn't.

His shirt had been torn open, and there were jagged scars all over his neck and chest, clearly made by Killian's hook. Red welts covered his face where Killian's magic had scorched it, and his lips were cracked and bleeding from when he'd bitten them to keep from screaming once his gag had been removed.

But the most gruesome part was the nails missing from nearly all of his fingers and toes; Killian had had Peter tear each of them out, one by one. He hadn't been able to keep himself from crying out at that.

Killian stepped back from the trembling, whimpering man, eyes gleaming as he surveyed his handiwork.

Just like when he'd murdered the dwarf, he felt a strange sense of revival, like he was regaining something he had lost. It had been far too long since the last time he'd tortured someone just because he wanted to.

Listening to the cricket's groans and cries of agony, he'd been reminded of how much he once enjoyed causing pain to others-and he'd discovered that he wouldn't need to find a way around the protection spell the Queen had cast because, obviously, it hadn't worked.

"Why are you doing this?" Archie questioned plaintively, his voice hoarse from screaming so much.

The Dark One lowered his icy gaze to meet the other man's, his crooked smirk still firmly in place.

"You can thank Emma for this, mate," he replied smoothly. "She made me into a Dark One and lied about it-so now, all her friends and family are going to be suffering the consequences for her mistake."

He turned to his partner, who'd retaken his former position up against the wall to watch the proceedings after his bit had been done.

"Feel like kicking this up a notch, Peter?" Killian said maliciously, knowing full well what the other's answer would be.

Just as he expected, Peter pushed himself off of the wall and came to join him again, eyes flashing as he responded. "It would be my genuine pleasure, Captain."

He waved one of his hands, and a cloud of acid green smoke swept over Archie's bleeding, shivering form. It engulfed him from head to foot, and his trembling got steadily worse and worse, until it evolved into fully-fledged thrashing.

A choked yell burst out of Archie's broken lips as his head suddenly snapped back, colliding with the floor as if he had been hit. His arms strained against the ropes binding them together, causing them to bend in all sorts of unnatural ways and forcing more pained noises from the back of his throat.

His whines were soon drowned out by the sound of bones snapping, and his head slamming repeated into the floor. Blood gushed from his nose, and his glasses shattered, the shards of glass cutting into his already abused face.

Killian felt only cruel satisfaction as he continued to watch the therapist bash his own skull in. He knew Pan's spell was turning the man's own body against him, breaking every bone in it as slowly and painfully as possible, and that, ultimately, it would kill him. It was a horrible way to die-but then, that was the idea. His mangled corpse would be another gift that Killian would leave for Emma to find-another reminder of how badly she had screwed up.

He couldn't wait to see the look on her face.

* * *

"So, will this spell stretch to everyone in town, no matter where they are, or does it have a boundary?" Regina questioned her former mentor, laying a protective hand on her son's shoulder.

A crease appeared on the pawn broker's weathered forehead.

"It affects the people, not the town itself, so we should all be safe, no matter where we are," Rumplestiltskin answered, leaning heavily on his cane. "Why? Are you planning on going somewhere?"

"Of course not," the Queen shook her head as if offended by the mere suggestion. "I just wanted to know exactly how far the spell goes, just in case anyone _else_ decided to flee and Hook tried to stop them."

Rumplestiltskin narrowed his eyes, looking as though he didn't really believe her, but Regina forced herself to appear unconcerned.

"In that case, we're going home," she stated, steering Henry toward the door.

Henry looked at Emma, most likely to protest, but Emma forestalled him. "Go with Regina, Henry. Even with this spell in effect, I'd still feel better if you were with someone with magic-and that's something I no longer have," she said with an unconcealed hint of bitterness.

Her son opened his mouth to argue, but, seeing the obvious woundedness in Emma's eyes, decided against it.

"Fine," he agreed reluctantly, slipping a hand into one of the front pockets of his jeans and following Regina out of the back office.

Once they were outside, Regina couldn't help repeatedly looking over her shoulder. The amber mist of the spell surrounding them on all sides probably should have comforted her, made her feel more secure-but it didn't, really. She just had this horrible feeling that it wasn't going to do anything-that, somehow, Hook and/or Pan was going to find a way around it and come after Henry.

Which brought her back to Hook's proposal.

He'd offered to leave Henry alone if Regina just stopped trying to help beat him. And, while she knew that backing out of the battle wasn't going to win her any popularity points with Emma and the Charmings, she also knew that she would do anything to keep Henry safe. He was the most important thing to her, and, if she had to endure some disapproval from the other residents of the town, she would.

But, then, there was no guarantee that Hook would even keep up his end of the bargain if she stayed out of the way. Regina highly doubted that Hook was like Rumplestiltskin, where, if he made a deal, he would honour it, no matter what. Hook just didn't strike him as that type of person-especially now that he was a Dark One.

Regina let out a sigh of frustration. There was just no way to make absolute certain that Henry would be safe-except, of course, defeating Hook before either he or his new partner had a chance to come after Henry. But there was no guarantee that any of them would be able to do that, either.

There was just no winning this.

"Mom, are you okay?" Henry asked her, interrupting her train of thought.

Regina met his concerned gaze evenly, trying hard not to show any of the distress she was currently feeling.

"I'm just trying to figure out the best way to keep you from getting hurt, Henry," she told him truthfully. Then, under her breath, she added, "But, so far, I'm not having very much success."

 _Because the only options I can think of are finding a way to defeat two of the most dangerous enemies any of us have ever faced in less than a week-or making a deal with the Devil._


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Before all of this had started, before Hook had even met Emma Swan, he'd never thought about anything but revenge. He'd allowed himself to be consumed by it because he nothing else-no real friends, no family-besides Milah, the only thing he loved was his ship, and that, of course, couldn't really fill the hole left by his wife's murder. So he filled it with darkness, instead.

He showed reluctance when Peter Pan first asked him to carry out some of the more nefarious deed; but, after a while, it was just an act. After a while, he found himself actually enjoying Peter's less-than-savoury tasks, because it helped him forget the emptiness inside of him.

Killian had never tortured anyone before he started working for Peter Pan; now he was far too adept at it.

 _The man on the floor was in tears, shaking and begging to be released. Unfortunately, that wasn't meant to be his fate-not unless Pan himself intervened._

 _"_ _P-please, stop," the man whimpered desperately as Killian's hook scraped across his chest with deliberate slowness, tearing at his already ravaged flesh. "Wh-what do you want from me?"_

 _"_ _Oh, it's not about what I want, mate," Killian responded as if he weren't currently ripping apart the man's chest cavity, sounding almost jovial. "Someone else wanted you punished, and, unfortunately for you, he's the only one who has the power to make this stop."_

 _The man opened his mouth again, probably to ask another question about why this was happening, but his words were quickly turned into a scream when Killian jammed the hot iron in his good hand into the man's fresh wound._

 _The smell of burning flesh permeated the air, yet Killian didn't flinch. On the contrary, his eyes actually gleamed with what looked like amusement. He wasn't just doing this because of the distraction it provided anymore, or because he was being ordered to. No, he was doing this because he wanted to; because he_ liked _it._

* * *

It was nearly evening by the time Emma and her parents left Gold's shop and returned to their house; but it was raining, so there was still no light to break the clouds that had marred the sky all morning. It was almost fitting, considering the former Saviour's current mood.

The spell that Regina had cast in order to protect Storybrooke's residents probably should have given her at least a little bit of comfort-but it didn't. Even if Hook couldn't physically harm people, there were still other ways that he could hurt her and the people she loved.

And then there was Peter Pan, who could have an entirely separate agenda, and who, if Rumplestiltskin's suspicions were correct, might be powerful enough that the protection spell would hinder him at all.

Emma let out a sigh, quietly so her parents wouldn't hear it as they entered their house, dripping wet from the sudden downpour. She didn't want them to know how dejected she was feeling or how pained she still was over Hook's betrayal. She'd felt despair before at being alone, despair at seeing someone she'd loved die-but none of that had been as bad as this.

Having no one didn't hurt as much as having someone and then having them turn against you. She hadn't even felt this miserable when she'd thought Neal had set her up all those years ago.

But she didn't want to talk about it; she just wanted to do was figure out a way to end this. The protection spell wasn't a permanent solution-it wasn't even a guaranteed reliable one-and she had to make sure that no one else suffered because of her mistake.

"We should really get some rest," her mother said as she removed her rain-soaked coat and hung it up on the coatrack behind the door. "Gold's spell bought us a few days reprieve and we should use them to muster our strength to face whatever comes next."

David took off his coat as well before laying a hand on her shoulder.

"Mary Margaret's right," he agreed, addressing Emma. "And you should stay with us, Emma. You shouldn't be alone right now."

Emma forced a tight smile and inclined her head in acceptance. "I'm going to go dry off, then," she said, jerking her head in the direction of the bathroom.

"We should go check on Neal," Mary Margaret told her husband, taking off her shoes and following after Emma, since the nursery was in the same part of the house as the washroom on this level.

The three of them crossed into the west wing of the house in silence, Emma leading the way with her hands rigid at her sides and her gaze fixed firmly ahead so she wouldn't have to see either of her parents' expressions. She knew that they only wanted her to stay because they were worried about her, but she couldn't help but feel that it was a bad idea; she'd only consented because she didn't have a good argument against it at the moment.

As they approached her younger brother's nursery, Emma began to feel something amiss inside that room; she changed her course and followed her parents.

Neal was, fortunately, fast asleep and completely untouched. But the same couldn't be said for the other body in the room.

"Oh my God," David exclaimed in horror as Mary Margaret let out a strangled whimper and buried her face in his chest so she wouldn't have to see the mutilated corpse on the floor. "Archie."

Emma grimaced as she stepped into the room behind them and saw the familiar figure as well.

Quite a number had been done on him: nearly every inch of the therapist's body had been cut or burned, until there was barely an inch of skin left unscarred.

Not only that, but several of his finger- and toe-nails had been torn out, and there were severe welts on his wrists and ankles, clearly showing that he had been tied up.

But the worst injuries appeared to have been done to his forehead; it was heavily bruised and bleeding, like it had been bashed repeatedly against a hard surface. That was most likely what had killed him; well, that, and the severe blood loss.

"I thought that that spell was supposed to make sure no one else got hurt," David exclaimed, brows furrowing as he continued to stare at the grisly tableau that was his dead friend. "How could Hook have done this?"

Emma wasn't immediately forthcoming with an answer, having to fight down the bile rising in her throat. She didn't want to believe that this was really her ex-lover's work-she wanted to say that it was most likely Pan, that _he_ was responsible for this- but she knew that wasn't the case.

"Well, obviously, it didn't work, or Hook was powerful enough that he was able to get around it," she declared bitterly, clenching her jaw. "Either way, it doesn't matter. All that matters is that he isn't going to stop-and, without knowing exactly who he's going to go after next, there isn't a damn thing any of us can do about it."

* * *

The Dark One heard every word Emma and her family spoke; he heard their exclamations of horror when they discovered the Cricket's mangled corpse in the baby's nursery, and he smiled from his position right outside their house.

It had been a little dicey, getting the body inside before they returned-luckily, he had magic now, and it had allowed him to simply teleport the body where he wanted it. Then, of course, he'd joined it (in a manner of speaking): this time, he'd wanted to witness their reaction-he'd wanted to see Emma's suffering.

The defeat he had heard in his former love's tone when she declared that the protection spell hadn't worked filled him with a dark sense of satisfaction; they hadn't really thought that something so… _pedestrian_ would be able to stop him, even temporarily. They'd dealt with Dark Ones before-they should have known better.

Killian wasn't complaining, though; their foolishness would be his gain.

And speaking of _gain…_

"Enjoying yourself, Killian?" a familiar silky British accent broke into his thoughts, followed almost immediately by the sound of rushing air from behind him.

Killian turned around, his smile widening as he opened his eyes to meet the amused gaze of his current partner in crime.

"Oh, absolutely," the Dark One answered in a tone filled with mirth, showing his teeth.

Peter's own lips twisted as he stepped forward, placing a booted foot in between both Hook's. "Then, I think it's high time you paid me back for helping you so far."

Killian arched an eyebrow; truthfully, Peter hadn't really done all that much except help torture Archie and lend some shock value to his transformation. But that was fine; Killian had only partially brought him back for his help.

"What do you want?" he asked, spreading his palms in a gesture of carelessness; whatever it was, he would give it.

He didn't bat an eyelid when Peter leaned in, emerald orbs simmering beneath his thick lashes, with something Killian recognized all too well.

"I think you already know the answer to that, Killian," the former ruler of Neverland replied, breath tickling the other man's lips as he dropped his voice to a sinuous whisper.

Killian let out a quiet huff of laughter.

"Yes, I think I do," he confirmed lowly, before leaning forward as well and closing what little distance remained between their faces.

Their lips met, and he felt Peter smirk when he let out a moan at the familiar sensation; but he couldn't find it in himself to care, not when that lithe body was pressing against him in the most sinful way.

Peter tasted just like he remembered, like some unholy mixture of smoke and sweets, his lips still soft as silk as they slid sensuously against Killian's. His body instantly heated and his mind short-circuited; as Peter took control of the kiss, tongue slipping swiftly inside the pirate's mouth, he lost all semblance of coherent thought.

Fingers gripped Hook's hair, pulling his head back forcefully, causing him to hiss-and giving Peter the opportunity to further explore his mouth.

Killian let out another moan as Peter's tongue moved against his own and the brunette pressed closer, bringing their bodies flush against one another. He'd almost forgotten how good this felt; he didn't know if it Peter was using magic, or if his own newfound power was heightening his senses, but, as Peter's free hand skimmed his chest, it felt as though Peter was touching every nerve in his body. Emma had never made him feel like this- no, only Peter Pan had ever done that.

It only got more intense when Peter's fingers snuck beneath the hem of Killian's shirt, skimming over his lower stomach, and making the skin tingle everywhere he touched. Killian arched as the touch moved higher, tracing the outline of his abdomen and nails scratching at his chest.

The buttons of Killian's shirt opened, one by one, as Peter's hand continued to roam his torso, and Killian's breathing grew ragged. His good hand came up to grip Peter's shoulder and he sucked the boy's tongue further into his mouth, urging him not to stop.

Peter let out a husky chuckle that vibrated against Killian's lips as his hand retraced its path down the pirate's chest, stopping at the zipper of his black slacks.

"You were planning on this," Peter murmured, biting at his bottom lip as he tugged the zipper down teasingly slow, watching the other man through hooded eyes. "You were waiting for it all along."

"I was," Killian admitted slightly breathlessly, hips jerking at the feeling of Peter's hand brushing against his rather prominent arousal. He was having a hard time thinking straight enough to form words, but he forced himself to focus, knowing he wouldn't get anywhere if he didn't give Peter the answer he wanted. "I was a fool to turn down your offer back in Neverland, and I wanted to correct my mistake."

He let out a strangled gasp as Peter's teeth sank into his jaw in reward for his admission. A shiver of pain and arousal went through him and his nails dug into Peter's shoulder in an effort to ground himself.

Peter let out a pleased hum, tongue tracing the curve of Hook's jaw as he pushed Hook's leather jacket-and the shirt he wore underneath it-off of his shoulders. "I like you better like this, Killian," the demon purred, hot breath rushing past Killian's ear and sending shivers down his spine. "You're much more… _honest._ "

Killian's breath stuttered in his throat when Peter then hooked a finger in the waistband of his slacks, shoving them and his underwear off of his hips and leaving him in absolutely nothing.

He let out another groan as Peter re-captured his lips in a rougher, deeper kiss and began walking him backward until Killian's legs hit the edge of something.

The pirate allowed himself to be pushed back, realizing when he fell onto it that it was his bed and they were back in his cabin aboard his ship. He didn't spare a thought for when they'd come back there, though, because Peter was crawling on top of him barely a second later, mouth latching onto the side of Killian's neck and sucking _hard_.

Killian threw his head back, feeling the heat in his stomach build even higher. " _Peter,_ " he hissed, body moving of its own volition, desperate for more. And Peter gave it to him, pulling Killian's legs over his shoulders and pushing inside him without a word of warning.

The dark-haired man cried out as he was penetrated, gripping the sheets so hard he was surprised they didn't rip. It hurt a lot-it had been far too long since the last time they'd done this-but that was fine. The pain was familiar, and it was a pleasure in itself.

" _Move_ ," he pleaded insistently, rolling his hips forward and encouraging Peter to keep going.

The smirk returned to Peter's lips, and he obeyed, thrusting into Hook, slowly at first, but steadily increasing speed as the pirate continued to buck into him, clearly wanting even more.

Groans fell from Killian's swollen lips as Peter rammed into him faster and faster, the sounds of flesh meeting flesh filling his ears like background music. He gave himself over to the sweet oblivion, rocking forward to meet every single one of Peter's thrusts.

Their mouths met with every movement upward, crashing together in wet, messy kisses that stole more and more of Killian's breath until his head was spinning; but he didn't try to slow things down. He was too far gone to stop now.

Peter kept changing his angle, so it wasn't long before he found that spot inside of Killian that made the other man see stars-and when he did, Killian cried out his name again, voice hoarse from the lack of air.

Killian writhed on the cot as Peter struck at the same spot over and over again, and sweat rolled off of his skin. "Peter, please," he all but whined into the brunette's mouth, this time digging his hook into Peter's shoulder as his breaths wavered with the effort it took to form words. He wasn't going to last much longer; he never did when he was with Peter.

Apparently, his partner was feeling generous, because rather than draw out Killian's relief as long as possible like he usually would, he reached between their bodies and wrapped his slender fingers around the pirate's long neglected cock and began to pump him in tandem with the motion of his hips.

Killian clutched at him gratefully, moaning at the extra stimulation and the feeling of all the blood in his body rushing downward. All it took from there was one, two, three stokes of Pan's thumb, and he came hard, spilling over his own stomach and Peter's fingers and gasping Peter's name.

His ass muscles clenched around Peter's cock, and the demon's movements sped up even more, becoming more and more erratic until he was coming, too, biting into Killian's shoulder to muffle his own exclamation. He didn't stop once he hit his release, though; he kept going, riding out every last drop until he was completely spent-and then, slumping over Killian, lips resting at the hollow of his throat.

As he came down from his post-orgasm high, Killian regained just enough focus to hear Peter speak into his neck.

" _I always knew you'd come back to me, Killian._ "

* * *

That was definitely not one of my better smut scenes, but it got the point across so everything is fine.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

In hindsight, Rumplestiltskin really should have seen this coming; after the way things between them had been left, there was no way Peter Pan would miss a chance to torment him now that he was back from the dead.

Even so, it was still a shock when he entered his shop the next morning and found the demon boy behind his desk, sitting in a chair that had never been there before with his booted feet propped up on the glass surface and long legs crossed at the ankles.

Pan's lips immediately curved into a smile the second he walked through the door.

"Hello, laddie," he greeted the haggard shop owner in a mockingly jovial tone, belied by the mix of vitriol and disdain burning in his bottle green eyes.

Rumplestiltskin's brows furrowed darkly.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded, his Irish accent thick with unrestrained hostility.

"I wanted to see you, of course," Peter replied, acting offended that the other man would think he was there for anything else. "I wanted to see how you were, you know, since you lost your powers. Really seems to have taken a toll on you, Rumple."

The former Dark One shook his head, fingers clenching around the top of his cane. He knew that wasn't really what Pan had come here for-but he also knew that just outright confronting Pan wouldn't get him anywhere, so he forced himself to play along.

"I'm sure I don't know what you mean," he said, affecting a calm he definitely didn't feel. "I've never been better."

Peter arched one of his thin, dirty brown eyebrows in an expression of evident scepticism.

"Really?" he quipped, cocking his head to the side like a curious child. "Even though you've lost the things you fought so hard to keep?Your son, your _power_ -tell me, what is it you have left? What have all your desperate attempts to be a _hero_ left you with?"

Rumplestilskin opened his mouth to make a retort, but then, as if in answer to Pan's question, the front door of the shop opened behind him, and Belle's distinctive voice cut into their conversation.

"Rumple, what's going o-?" the redhead's words died in her throat when her gaze fell on the familiar boy sitting behind the clerk's desk.

"Belle, get out of here," her husband hissed out of the corner of his mouth, keeping his eye on Pan as he stepped back to block the boy's view of her-as if that would make any difference.

"But, Rumple," Belle started to protest, but he cut her off. "Belle, _go._ "

Recognizing that Rumplestiltskin was trying to protect her, she turned to run-but Peter suddenly appeared in front of her, blocking her way.

"Too late," he chimed, extending his palm toward her and knocking her to the floor, where she instantly fell unconscious.

Her husband instantly whipped around and tried to get to her, but Peter simply flicked his fingers and an invisible force knocked Rumplestiltskin's feet out from under him as well, keeping him in place. He found himself unable to move or do anything except watch as a cloud of green smoke enveloped his wife and took her away from him.

"No," he choked out, struggling valiantly to get up so he could try and stop it-but it was no use. She was gone.

A shiver ran down his spine as Peter crossed the room back to him, kneeling down at his side and bringing his lips next to Rumplestiltskin's ear.

" _Like I said, what have your actions left you with?_ " he whispered, breaths wavering with the venom of his words. He gave Rumplestiltskin's cheek a mock affectionate pat, and then, he, too, vanished, leaving the other man alone on the floor.

* * *

Peter reappeared, not aboard the _Jolly Roger_ , but in the sitting room of the house Killian had bought for himself and Emma, with Belle suspended in the air behind him.

His partner was waiting for him, clad once again in his old leather waistcoat and maroon vest and with the hood of his velvet cloak pushed back to show his currently malevolent expression.

"That was awfully quick," the Dark One commented as Peter strode up to his side, dropping his captive on the floor in front of them.

The corners of Peter's mouth quirked.

"You know how much I like action, Killian," Peter replied, eyebrows waggling almost suggestively.

Killian gave a quiet snicker at the obvious double meaning of the boy's words. He knew perfectly well how much Peter _liked action_ -and exactly what sort of action it was he liked.

"Indeed, I do," he stated smoothly, steel-blue eyes alight with cruel amusement as he turned his attention to Peter's captive. "And you're really going to like this one."

He waved his good hand, and Belle was lifted off of the floor, falling on top of the coffee table in the center of the room. Black ropes sprouted from underneath the piece of furniture almost immediately, coiling around the redhead's petite, unconscious form and binding her tightly to the table's surface.

"Shall I wake her?" Peter suggested, raising one of his hands in preparation to break the sleeping spell he'd cast on Belle-if that was what Killian wanted.

Killian's tongue came out to wet his lips as he considered the offer; then, after a moment, he responded. "Yes. I think I'd like to hear her scream."

Peter grinned at his choice of words, and instantly waved his hand over the comatose woman, rousing her from her magically-induced slumber.

Belle's eyes flew open, and, when she found she couldn't sit up, she started thrashing against her bonds.

"Wh-what's going on? Wh-where am I?" she asked, eyes darting back and forth wildly, searching for an answer to her questions-and widening when she caught sight of Hook and Pan. "What are you doing to me?"

Killian sauntered over to the table, leaning over it so that he and Belle were nearly nose-to-nose. "The same thing I did to the dwarf and the cricket." He conjured a ball of black fire into his good hand, and added, "Only in a much more… _dramatic_ fashion."

 _Build your throne on their ashes_

"Wh-?" Belle started to ask another question, but she cut off, crying out when Killian pressed his fiery hand to her throat. The black flames seared her bare skin, and she jerked, head rearing back involuntarily at the sudden pain.

"Emma might be the one I hate most right now; but I haven't forgotten what your husband's done to me," the dark-haired pirate mused as he watched the redhead struggle below him, an almost chiding look on his scruffy features. "And what better way to make him pay than by finishing what I started three years ago and taking away the woman he loves?"

Belle shook her head, tears springing to her eyes as the fire was once again brought into contact with her body. "No, please," she begged, trying desperately not to scream-but she couldn't help it, and one tore itself from her throat barely a second later.

Killian's eyes flashed as he clamped his hand down harder around Belle's arm, and the scent of burning flesh filled his nostrils. He reckoned he should be sickened by that smell, but instead, he was quite the opposite; he wanted more.

He shifted his hand, flicking his fingers over Belle's chest and letting the fire catch on her clothes.

Belle let out another, more drawn-out scream as the fire spread rapidly, consuming her entire body in a matter of seconds-and it didn't stop there. It overtook the table she was tied to, and began to cover the floor and the walls, drowning the whole room in smoke.

And Killian watched, unflinching, knowing that soon the entire house would be reduced to ashes-and Belle along with it-and that gave him an immense sense of satisfaction.

"Congratulations, Killian. You've finally paid back the Crocodile for everything he's done to you," Peter's silky British accent purred into his ear as he rested his chin on Killian's shoulder.

The Dark One Smiled, eyes bright with malice.

"And I think it's time I finished what I started with Emma," he declared, leaning back into Peter's chest and pulling out his cell phone.

* * *

It had been another sleepless night for Regina; she's spent all of it arguing with herself about what to say to Hook's proposal, and she still didn't have an answer.

Finding out that the protection spell she'd cast hadn't worked and that Archie was dead hadn't helped. In fact, it had just made the choice even more difficult.

She let out a heavy sigh, gripping the handle of coffee cup hard enough that her knuckles turned even whiter than usual. She didn't think she'd ever face this kind of indecision before in her life.

Well, maybe when she'd had to choose between killing her father or letting Snow White's crimes against her go unpunished-but even then, she hadn't felt this paralyzed.

Four years ago, this would have been a no brainer: Henry had been the only thing that mattered to her, so choosing to save him would be the obvious choice. But she wasn't the same person she'd been then, and she knew Henry would never be okay with her throwing the rest of the town under the bus in order to protect him.

It was an impossible choice-and she was about to run out of time to make it.

The sound of her cellphone ringing jolted Regina out of her stupor, nearly making her jump out of her seat.

Dreading what she would hear next, she pulled the slim black device out of her pocket, expecting to see Emma's number on screen, but there was no ID on the caller at all.

White forehead creasing, she hit the answer button, and an easily recognizable Irish accent filled her ear.

" _Time's up, Your Highness. What's it going to be: your cooperation, or your son's life?_ "

Regina set her coffee down, fearing she might spill it because her hand was shaking so badly. "Why are you doing this? If you're as powerful as you say you are, why does it matter whether or not I'm involved?" she shot back in a tone of forced calm, trying to stall for time.

Static crackled in her ears as Killian let out a deep, mirthless chuckle.

"Oh, this isn't about _you_ , love; this is about making the former Saviour suffer. And what better way to do that than to make her greatest allies abandon her just when she needs them the most?"

Regina's brows furrowed even more as she slowly came to realize just how diabolical the Dark One's plan was. She knew, just like the majority of the town did, that nothing scared Emma more than being alone again-which was exactly what Killian was making her. And, while losing someone to death was bad, having them turn their back on you was even worse.

She'd never thought that Hook would have it in him to be that cruel, though-at least, not to Emma. Evidently, she'd been wrong.

"What makes you think she won't find a way to defeat you, anyways?" she asked, while her mind whirled madly.

This time, instead of a response, she heard what sounded distinctly like Killian clicking his tongue in disapproval.

" _Now, now, Your Majesty, no more stalling_ ," the pirate mock chided her, affecting an air of irritation. " _I gave you a day to think about it; it's time to make your choice._ "

His voice took on a sharp, dangerous edge as he added, " _You don't want to keep me waiting any longer-trust me._ "

Regina bit her lip. She didn't want to make this decision; but she knew she had to. So, she chose the lesser of two evils.

"You win," she surrendered bitterly, the words leaving a sour taste in her mouth. She gritted her teeth. "I won't interfere with your plans anymore."

She could practically hear the smarmy grin in Hook's voice when he spoke again.

" _Good choice,_ " he commended her. " _You have my word that no harm will come to your son as long as you keep that promise. Enjoy the rest of your day,_ Regina."

The line went dead.

Regina exhaled heavily, slowly laying her phone onto the table as her other hand curled into a fist in her lap. She told herself that what she'd done was the only way she could make sure that Henry was safe; but a part of her knew that it was just words. She'd just done what she never thought she'd do again: put her own needs before anyone else's.

There was no telling what Emma would do once she found out.

* * *

Yes this chapter was terrible. I'll redux it later maybe.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Emma, of course, hadn't gotten any sleep; it was kind of hard to do so in a house where you'd just found the corpse of one of your closest friends.

The image of Archie's ruined face and body had haunted her all night, making closing her eyes the last thing she wanted to do. So, she'd spend all night in her parents' living room, sitting rigid on the couch and striving not to dissolve into tears.

It had been a long time since she'd last felt this helpless. The guilt of being the one to have caused all this was crushing her, and she couldn't fix it. She couldn't go after Killian-she couldn't do anything without her magic. And, as powerful as Regina was, the protection spell she'd cast hadn't worked, so apparently she wasn't powerful enough to challenge the Dark One and Pan.

Emma exhaled heavily, closing her eyes and clenching her fists. She hated this; she'd thought her days of feeling so weak were over. She'd thought that she could finally be happy, that once she'd gotten the darkness out of herself and Killian, that she might actually be able to find some peace.

She should have known better.

The sound of footsteps approaching interrupted her stewing, and she opened her eyes to see her parents coming to sit across from her with understandably grim expressions on their faces.

"We need another plan," Mary Margaret was the first to speak, a note of obviously forced calm in her voice. "The protection spell was a bust, so we need to find some other way of keeping more people from getting hurt."

"I don't see how," Emma replied flatly, trembling with the effort it took not to just outright say that there was no point. "If Regina's magic can't protect the town even temporarily, I don't know what other options we have."

"There has to be something," David piped up. "Like your mother said, we can't just sit around and wait for Hook or Pan to kill someone else. We have to keep fighting."

"I'm open to suggestions," Emma said, lifting her shoulders in a shrug.

David took a deep breath, worrying his bottom lip between his teeth as he tried to come up with a solution. Since neither Gold nor Emma possessed their magic anymore, Regina was still probably their best bet for stopping Hook; but the defensive approach hadn't worked, so they needed to find some way for Regina to go on the offensive.

He sighed: he had an idea. But Emma and Mary Margaret weren't going to like it.

"I hate to say it, but maybe we should find a way to put an end to Hook before he can hurt anyone else," he reluctantly suggested. He knew it was a terrible thing to say, but he couldn't see any other options.

Both Emma and Mary Margaret turned to him with horror in their eyes. "You mean kill him?" Emma said, unable to believe what she was hearing.

"No, that's not how we do things," Mary Margaret protested fiercely, shaking her head. "We don't kill people. That's not who we are."

David held up his hands.

"I know, but what other choice do we have? Emma can't get her powers back, and, as long as Hook's still alive, we're all in jeopardy. I don't want to do this, either, but I will if it means that everyone we love stays alive."

Emma pressed her lips together, trying to stop them from trembling while she came to terms with what her father was saying.

"Even if we were to agree on that plan-and that's a big if-how do you propose to kill him?" Emma queried, forehead creasing. "Last time I checked, the Dark One dagger was the only thing that could do that, and he has it-and Pan."

David frowned. Emma did have a point there. But, true to his nature, he refused to admit defeat.

"We could go have another look at those Dark One chronicles, or ask Gold if there's any other way to stop a Dark One," he stated optimistically, getting back to his feet. "With any luck, we might even be able to find something that Pan won't be able to get in the way of."

Emma looked over at her mother, knowing that they were probably having the same thoughts: killing Hook was definitely not something that they wanted to do, but it was starting to look a lot like something they were going to have to do.

Inhaling deeply, she pushed herself to her feet as well. "Okay," she agreed resignedly, hands clenching at her sides. "Let's go."

She saw Mary Margaret's scandalized expression over her father's shoulder. "Emma, no," she started to protest, but her daughter cut her off.

"There's nothing else we can do, mom-not if we don't want Killian to kill every last one of us," Emma declared bluntly, walking off before the other woman had a chance to argue.

Mary Margaret shot her husband a disparaging glance.

"Why would you even suggest doing this? You know killing is the wrong thing to do," she admonished firmly, folding her arms across her chest.

David raised his palms in a gesture of surrender. "I know, and I don't want to do this, either, but we don't have any other ideas. Hook is going to keep coming after the people Emma loves, and I don't know how else we can stop him."

His wife heaved a sigh. She really didn't like this: killing went against everything she believed in and everything she was. She still remembered the toll it had taken on her the one time she'd broken her rules and killed Cora and she was pretty sure killing Hook would only make her-and her daughter-feel even worse.

On the other hand, though, she knew that just letting Hook go unpunished for killing Archie and Leroy wasn't an option, either. They had to do something, and if this was the only thing they could do…

"Fine," she reneged grudgingly, steeling herself. "But while Emma and I go and talk to Gold, you have to stay here with Neal. Make sure no more corpses end up in his nursery."

David's lips twitched ruefully.

"I'll do that," he promised, giving his wife's shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "Let me know what happens."

Mary Margaret inclined her head in acquiescence before turning on her heel and heading off after her daughter.

* * *

The "CLOSED" sign was still up on the front door when Emma and Mary Margaret arrived at the pawnshop-and, as if that weren't odd enough, when they tried to go inside anyway, they found the door locked.

"Gold!" Emma called, rapping on the window with her brows furrowed. "Open up, we need to talk to you!"

There was no answer for several minutes-though Emma continued her insistent knocking-and she was about to pull out her phone and call Gold to see where he was when the door finally opened.

"What do you want?" the shopkeeper demanded, his voice even more terse than usual as he opened the door only a crack and glared out at the two women.

Emma gave her mother a sideways look, and the older woman took the lead.

"The protection spell you had Regina cast didn't work," Mary Margaret told him bleakly. "Hook tortured and murdered Archie and left his mangled corpse in our house-in our son's nursery. We have to find another way to stop him and Pan and we need your help."

She started forward, clearly expecting to be let in at that, but Rumplestiltskin held the door in place, his expression remaining starkly unmoved.

"Unfortunately, dearie, I've decided I'm done helping you," the former Dark One declared coldly, still refusing to let the two women inside.

Emma's frown deepened.

"What do you mean, you've _decided_ that you're done helping us?" she shot back, aghast. "You can't do that!"

"I think you'll find that I can, miss Swan," Rumplestiltskin said, gaze sharpening into daggers as he turned it on the former Saviour. "After all, helping all of you and acting the hero hasn't gotten me anything, except the loss of everything that ever mattered to me. First my son, then my magic, and now Belle,"

"What are you talking about? What happened to Belle?" Mary Margaret interrupted sharply, her expression morphing into one of puzzled, but genuine concern.

The shopkeeper grimaced, his whole body going rigid as the events of that morning once again replayed inside his head and made him feel even worse.

"Pan took her," he answered bitterly, the hand not on the doorknob curling into a fist at his side.

Mary Margaret's eyes widened in sympathy. "Oh my God, Gold, I'm so sorr-!"

"Save it," he cut her off frigidly, nostrils flaring. He turned his acid gaze back on Emma. "This is _your_ fault: you turned Hook into a Dark One and enabled him to bring Pan back from the dead and come after the only person I had left. So now you're going to have to clean this mess up yourself, because I'm leaving Storybrooke-today."

And with that, he slammed the door in the two women's faces before either of them could utter another word, ending the opportunity for any further protestations.

As they heard the lock click back into place, Emma turned to her mother. "So what do we now?" she asked, shoulders hunching in defeat.

The older woman was saved from having to come up with a response by the distinct sound of Emma's phone ringing.

" _Mom,_ " Henry's voice crackled through the earpiece when the former Saviour raised the device to her ear, sounding uncharacteristically frightened. And, as if that weren't enough to make Emma worry, his next words more than did the trick. " _Your house is on fire._ "

* * *

David paced back and forth in front of his son's crib, hand gripping the hilt of his sword like a vise. He didn't think that Hook would show up; but then, he hadn't thought that Hook would leave the body of one of his closest friends lying in their house, either, so.

He was, unfortunately, all too familiar with this feeling of danger and fear. He'd never voice it aloud because he knew his family would be counting on him to be the brave one, but he didn't know if they were going to be able to make it out of this. Pan was one of the most powerful enemies they'd ever faced, and now he was working with the Dark One, he probably wasn't going to be any easier to defeat than he was the first time.

And then, of course, there was Hook. When he'd first come to town, he'd been an enemy, but he'd been relatively easy to stop. Then again, he hadn't had magic then-and he hadn't been after Emma and everyone she loved.

He'd already killed Leroy and Archie and David didn't want his son to be the next on that list.

"It's really a shame that someone so young should have to be privy to so much death."

The sound of that familiar Irish brogue, now so cold and mocking, made the hairs on the back of David's neck stand on end; he whipped around instantly, brandishing his sword.

The new Dark One was there, leaning against the side of Neal Jr's cradle with one of his ice-blue eyes focused almost pityingly on the male infant lying in the crib, while the other watched its father for his reaction.

David thrust his sword forward, aiming the point at the other man's chest. "Get away from my son," he demanded harshly, unable to keep the slight quaver out of his voice.

Killian raised his hand and hook in mock surrender. "Don't worry, Dave," he drawled, lips curling into a small smirk. "I'm not here to hurt your son."

David's eyes narrowed. "Then what the hell are you doing here?" he questioned suspiciously, moving his swordpoint closer to Killian's chest.

Killian's smirk widened.

"I'm here to do what I should have done two years ago." He vanished in a cloud of black smoke and reappearing behind the prince, hot breath rushing past David's ear as he completed his statement. "Kill you."

David didn't even have a chance to react before Killian attacked, plunging his hook into the prince's back.

David's breath left him in a rush and he was driven to his knees, the sword falling from his hand and clattering to the floor. He'd felt pain before, of course; he'd even been stabbed before-but never like this. It wasn't just metal cutting into his flesh; there was dark magic at play, too.

"Wh-?" he choked, unable to get the full word out as his mouth suddenly filled with blood.

Killian dug the hook in even deeper, and David doubled over, crimson spilling out of his lips and drowning whatever he'd been about to say in waves of black agony.

"Nothing personal, mate," Killian hissed silkily, his scruff rasping against the other man's skin as he leaned over him. "But I told your daughter I'd take everything she cares about away from her, and, unfortunately, you're near the top of that list-something else to thank her for."

He let out a cruel snicker, finally yanking his hook out of David's back and shoving the prince forward, where he collapsed at Killian's feet.

His breathing turned into desperate rasps as his hand scrabbled on the floor, clearly searching for his sword. When Killian noticed that, he let out a mirthless chuckle.

"You still think you can fight?" the Dark One scoffed derisively, straightening up. He kicked the sword out of the prince's reach, then used his foot to also roll David onto his back. "You're finished, _Dave_."

He stabbed downward, this time thrusting his hook into David's chest, ripping out his heart and then crushing it without hesitation.

As David let out his last breath, a pair of lanky arms wrapped around Killian's waist.

"You've surprised me, Killian: I didn't think you'd have it in you to go this far," his partner's familiar silky British accent praised, lips brushing against Killian's ear,

Killian chuckled softly.

"Oh, I'm not done yet," he commented darkly, half-turning his head so he could see Peter's face as he continued. "The Saviour still has a few things she loves left, and I won't be finished until I've taken them all away from her."

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the malicious gleam that came into the demon boy's gaze at his words.

"Well, then, what are we waiting for?"

* * *

i feel like there should be another scene but oh well


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

The sight that greeted Emma when she returned to her house-the house that Killian had bought for them-was a truly horrifying one.

Just like Henry had said, the entire place was consumed by flames. But they were no ordinary flames:they were livid, unearthly black flames that were spreading more rapidly than anything Emma had ever seen before.

There was a fire truck in the driveway and a group of firefighters attempting to stem the blaze, but nothing they did seemed to have any effect. And Emma couldn't do anything, either; even if she'd known what to do, she didn't have the strength. The sight of the home she was supposed to have shared with the man she loved burning to the ground rendered her completely paralyzed.

"Emma, I'm so sorry," Mary Margaret said, laying a comforting hand on her daughter's shoulder.

It didn't seem to do any good, though. Emma was too forlorn even to appreciate her son running up to her and throwing his arms around her or hear him express his relief at knowing that she hadn't been inside the house when it had caught fire. All she could focus on was the sound and sight of her house turning to ash before her eyes.

In a very uncharacteristic moment of weakness, her legs gave out and she dropped to her knees, unable to hold back tears. She didn't think she'd ever feel this miserable over losing a house-it was just a building, after all-but this was about more than the house itself. It had been a symbol of her and Killian's future-and now it was rubble.

This was more than a threat or a challenge;she couldn't even think of a word to fully encompass what this meant. Seeing the destruction before her, she felt more disturbed than she'd ever felt before in her life.

She ducked her head, pressing her lips together so Henry and Mary Margaret wouldn't hear her sobs. She didn't want them to see her like this; tears pouring down her face, her entire body shaking like a leaf-she was a complete mess. This was even worse than having to watch Killian walk away from her with Zelena by his side-or being kicked off his ship while he consorted with Peter Pan; she hadn't thought anything would hurt worse than that.

She knew what this was about, too: Killian had made it pretty clear that he was done with her the last time they'd spoken-and that the only thing he wanted to do was make her suffer.

Well, he was succeeding.

Emma's teeth clenched as she tried to regain her composure. She couldn't do this-she couldn't just fall to pieces. That was exactly what Hook wanted and she couldn't give him the satisfaction: she had to do something to stop this.

Inhaling deeply, she wiped the tears off her face and forced herself to her feet.

"Call Regina," she told her mother, struggling to keep her voice even. "We have to put an end to this."

" _I'm afraid that won't be happening_."

Emma, Mary Margaret and Henry all whipped around at the sound of that familiar British accent and found their old nemesis standing there, looking like the cat that caught the canary.

Emma wished she could say she wasn't surprised by Pan's appearance; but she really hadn't see this coming.

"Pan," she spat, attempting to hide just how shocked she really was by the presence of the former ruler of Neverland. "Did you do this?"

Those unnaturally pink lips twisted into an all too familiar infuriating smirk.

"Of course not. This isn't my game," the brown-haired immortal said brightly, widening his eyes in a gesture of false innocence. "Your boyfriend's the one calling all the shots here-I'm just along for the ride."

The former Saviour's forehead wrinkled in an expression of obvious consternation. That didn't sound right. "And you're okay with that?"

Pan let out a soft chuckle, rocking back on his heels and spreading his arms in a characteristically grandiose manner.

"Why wouldn't I be? He came up with the endgame-he plans to make you all pay. Now he makes all the moves and all I have to do is sit back and enjoy the show."

Emma's frown deepened, appalled by the brunette's lackadaisical attitude; but then, she shouldn't have expected any different. Pan had never been anything but smug when it came to his evil plans, and she didn't think he would be changing that now.

In a bold move, Henry took a step forward and declared in a steely tone, "We'll stop you."

Pan's smirk widened mockingly.

"It's good to see you, too, Henry," he said smoothly. "All grown up I see-yet still so naïve. I'm sure your mother will _try_ to stop us, but things aren't the way they were the last time. My son doesn't have the means to kill me a second time-and, what's more, you no longer have him-or the Evil Queen-on your side."

"What are you talking about?" Mary Margaret queried sharply, lowering her phone to stare at the demon boy.

Peter chuckled, the sound making the hairs on the back of all of their necks stand on end.

"Why do you think she isn't answering your calls?" he stated slyly, leaning forward, his emerald eyes gleaming as he elaborated. "All I had to do was promise not to harm your grandson, and she promised not to interfere with our plans. And she can't break that promise-not unless she wants her darling Henry to die."

Emma's eyes widened as she digested that distressing news; that couldn't be true. Regina wouldn't do that to them-if she had, that would mean that the only one who could stop Hook wouldn't.

"You're lying," she denied-but her voice lacked conviction. She had no idea whether or not Pan was telling the truth: he had never been one for complete honesty or complete deception.

"Actually, he's not," Killian's Irish accent joined the conversation as the new Dark One materialized on the street, shadows trailing behind like the ends of a dark cloak.

"I talked to the Queen myself and made it clear that, if she got in the way, she risked losing the people she loves most in the world. And, unfortunately, you're not one of them," he continued cockily, lifting a corner of his mouth in a half smirk. "So, tell me, Swan: how does it feel to have your greatest allies abandon you just when you need them the most?"

Emma didn't know what to say. All she could do was stare miserably as Killian wrapped an arm around Pan's waist and kissed him on the lips.

Her mother, fortunately, had no such handicap.

"We don't believe you," the princess stated with a sound of disgust.

Killian's smirk returned as he and Pan broke apart and he turned back to Emma, his steel-blue eyes simmering with mirth.

"Then go on and ask her," the Dark One said, stepping aside to let them pass with a careless wave of his hook. "She'll tell you the same thing I have: you are now completely alone in this."

"Don't listen to him, Emma," Mary Margaret intoned out of the corner of her mouth. She placed a hand on both her daughter and her grandson's backs and, shooting Hook and Pan a final venomous look, began to lead them forward. "Let's go."

Emma followed, but she couldn't stop her gaze from drifting back to Killian one last time-and that was when Pan just had to deliver one last shot.

"This is a game you cannot win, _Saviour_ ," he sneered, giving her a cheeky wave that matched the cruel amusement in his bottle green eyes as he watched her walk away. "Everyone you love will fall: the people you have standing next to you are all you have left-and soon they'll be gone, too."

* * *

Pan's last words made Emma stumble in her tracks. What did he mean by that? Henry and Mary Margaret were the only ones standing next to her. Could that mean that something had happened to David already?

She turned to her mother, real fear in her eyes. "Mom?"

"I heard," Mary Margaret assured her, bottom lip catching between her teeth as she paused. "He's trying to psych you out."

Emma frowned, not quite believing it. "Maybe you should go back home and check on David and Neal just in case."

She could tell the other woman was torn between remaining by their side and making sure her husband and son were safe.

"Will you two be okay?" Mary Margaret asked, side-eyeing Emma worriedly.

Though she didn't really want Mary Margaret to leave, Emma knew it was selfish to keep her parents and her brother apart, so she nodded.

"If Hook had wanted to harm us, he just had his chance, but he let us go. And even if he or Pan comes after us, there wouldn't be anything you could do about it, so go make sure David and Neal are okay. Henry and I will go see what's going on with Regina."

Recognizing the truth of Emma's words, Mary Margaret acceded, albeit rather reluctantly.

"Be careful," she said, pulling them both into a brief embrace before heading back in the direction of her house.

Emma let out a shaky breath, then resumed walking toward Regina's house with Henry following close behind.

"You don't really think that Pan was telling the truth, do you?" the brown-haired boy questioned, coming up beside her with a distressed expression on his thin face.

Emma wasn't immediately forthcoming with an answer, taking a moment to consider how best to phrase what she was currently thinking.

"I don't want to, Henry," she said, not looking at him so he wouldn't see the doubt in her eyes. "And I know you don't, either. But I also know that, like me, Regina would do anything to keep you safe, including making a deal with a Dark One. I just hope that she was actually playing him and that she wasn't answering our calls because she doesn't want him and Pan to find out."

She deliberately left out her other hope: that Regina was no longer the kind of person who would sacrifice everyone else's life in order to preserve Henry's.

She lengthened her stride in haste to find out the truth, so it didn't take long for her and Henry to reach the Queen's house.

When they did, they found most of the windows were dark-yet, strangely, the door was unlocked when Henry turned the knob.

"Mom?" the boy called as he and Emma entered the house, looking around carefully.

"Henry?!" Regina's voice replied as she came running down the stairs, eyes wide with worry. "What took you so long. I thought you just went to- "She stopped when she saw that her son wasn't the only one who'd come inside. "Oh, hi, Emma."

The blonde woman arched an eyebrow at the less-than-friendly greeting. "Mary Margaret called you. Why did you answer? We needed you."

Regina looked down at her feet, shifting like a guilty child. "I was…busy," she said evasively, stuffing her hands in the pockets of her blazer.

Henry's small forehead wrinkled in a frown.

"Hook burned Emma's house down, Mom," he informed her grimly. "And then he and Pan showed up and said that you made a deal to stop helping with trying to stop them if they left me alone. That isn't true, is it?"

The Queen bit her lip, the guilt on her face giving her companions all the answer they needed.

"I'm sorry, Henry, but it is true," she admitted regretfully, clearly forcing herself to meet his gaze. "I told Hook that I would stay out of his way if he kept you off his hitlist."

Henry's face fell.

"And what makes you think he'll keep his word?" Emma declared sharply, her pale face contorting incredulously. "Even if you do nothing, there's no guarantee that he won't kill Henry, anyways; all you've done is given him and Pan free rein to continue their murder spree."

"Gold could-" Regina started to argue, but Emma cut her off. "Gold's leaving. Hook killed Belle, so he's decided that he no reason to help anymore. So, if you don't help, there will be now one left who can stop him."

Regina's expression grew troubled at that revelation. She might have made a different call if she'd known that-but it was too late now.

"Then I guess you're out of luck," she replied, slowly spreading her palms in a gesture of helplessness. "If I don't help you, they _might_ kill Henry; but if I do, then they definitely will. So, I'm sorry, but you're on your own."

Emma felt her stomach drop. She'd been counting on Regina's magic since her own was no longer a viable option-now she didn't even have that. Pan had been right: she was completely alone in this.

"Fine," she grit out, fighting to keep the anger and betrayal out of her voice as she addressed the other woman. "I won't pretend that I'm happy about this; but if you're really so intent on protecting Henry, then you take him and you get out of town before Hook and Pan have a chance to go back on their word."

"No way, I'm not leaving!" Henry exclaimed, eyes darting indignantly back and forth between his two mothers.

Emma knelt down in front of him, placing her hands on his shoulders and looking him in the eyes.

"Henry, you have to. It's the only way to make absolute sure that you stay safe, no matter what Hook does," she declared firmly, begging him to understand.

"But he'll kill you, and Grandma and Grandpa. I'll lose almost everyone I love-I can't just let that happen!" Henry protested, shaking his head furiously.

Emma pulled him into her arms, hugging him fiercely.

"There's nothing you can do, Henry," she whispered, giving him a quick squeeze before getting back to her feet and turning to Regina. "You two have to go now-before Hook makes his next move. I'm going to go back to David and Mary Margaret to spend whatever time we have left together."

"Emma," Regina called as she turned to leave. "I'm sorry. I was just doing what I thought I had to."

The blonde stopped in her tracks, looking over her shoulder at her old enemy. "Take care of our son," she said by way of a farewell. She turned to Henry, and added, "I love you, Henry."

And then, before she could lose her nerve, she left.

* * *

The moment Mary Margaret walked in her front door, she knew something was wrong.

There wasn't anything out of place, no visible signs of anything amiss, but when she stepped inside, a chill just went over her, like she'd just entered a tomb or something.

"David?" she called out cautiously, closing the door behind her as she cast her eyes about for some indication as to why she felt so uneasy.

When she received no answer, the coldness in her body grew worse. David wouldn't just ignore her, and he should have been able to hear her from Neal's nursery-so either he was somewhere else in the house, or he wasn't answering because he couldn't.

Really hoping that it was the former (but strongly suspecting that it was the latter), Mary Margaret rushed up the stairs, concern for her family members obliterating everything else in her mind.

She checked their bedroom and the upstairs guest room, but David wasn't in either one of them and she began to feel real fear. Where was her husband? Why wasn't he answering her?

"Davi-" she started to call his name a second time, but she stopped when she opened the door to her son's nursery, clapping a hand over her mouth at what she found there.

David was lying on the floor by Neal's crib, a hole in his chest and a pool of blood surrounding him on all sides.

"No," the princess dropped to her knees beside his body, moisture welling up in her eyes as she looked into his blank face. She touched his cheek, and a lump rose in her throat at its ice-like state. "No, David, please. Please don't be gone. "

"Oh, don't worry, love. You'll be joining soon enough," a familiar Irish brogue interrupted her mourning, sounding almost bored.

Mary Margaret stumbled back, turning in the direction of the voice. She really shouldn't have been surprised: she should have known that Hook wouldn't just let _her_ go.

"You," Mary Margaret spat, voice raw with grief and disgust as she looked upon the pirate who had murdered her husband. "You did this, too?"

Killian gave her a mocking bow.

"Of course," he confirmed silkily, eyes glinting with what seemed almost like pride as he strode forward, advancing on her like a predator closing in on its prey. "I told your daughter that I'd take away everything she cared about-and her father was quite high on that list."

Mary Margaret's nostrils flared.

"Emma shouldn't have saved you," she hissed, "She should have let you die."

The Dark One's eyes flashed.

"No, your daughter should never have jerked me around so much; she shouldn't have lied to me about turning me into a Dark One," Killian corrected, gripping the princess' short hair and yanking her head back painfully. "This is her fault-everything that's happened is because of her mistakes."

Before Mary Margaret could say another word-or even blink, he blurred, slashing her throat with his hook. "And it will be her fault when this town burns."

He dropped his victim back onto the floor beside her husband, stepping back as blood spewed forth from her wound. She choked, pressing a hand against her throat to try and stop the bleeding, but it was no use-there was no help for her.

The last thing she saw before she died was the Dark One standing over her, a sadistic grin on his bow-shaped lips. And then, everything went black.

 _Like dominos, they will all fall. One by one, everyone you love will die-and you will have no one to blame but yourself._


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

The Dark One stood in the street, watching in what could almost be described as fascination as blood dripped off the end of his hook and onto the already crimson-drenched asphalt.

Another body lay sprawled at his feet, this one of a man whose name he didn't even know. It was a meaningless death, done purely spur of the moment. He'd rediscovered his taste for murder, and it was even stronger than it had been during his days on Neverland.

And speaking of Neverland…

"Another one, Killian?" Peter's silky British accent commented as he materialized in front of Hook, eyebrow cocked in a mockingly stern expression.

Killian didn't even pretend that Pan was really chastising him. "I think that's the last of them," he stated, tapping his chin thoughtfully. He turned to Peter, arching an eyebrow of his own. "What do you say we put an end to this town for good?"

A corner of his partner's mouth lifted in a smirk.

"And how do you plan on doing that?" Peter queried, tilting his head to the side curiously.

"Well, first, I say we stop the Queen and Rumplestiltskin from escaping-then I say we let the darkness take them all," the Dark One suggested without hesitation.

Peter's smile widened.

"I like the way you think, Killian," he said admiringly, stepping closer to his partner and looking up at him through his lashes. He paused, then added, "But I think I can do one better."

He leaned in, lips brushing Hook's cheek before he whispered his plan in the Dark One's ear, causing Killian to smirk as well.

 _Let the fires of the underworld consume everything that's left_

"You're right, that _is_ a better idea," the pirate agreed, upper lip curling. "And I think I'd like to see the former Saviour's face while you put that in action."

Peter inclined his head. "As you wish, _Dark One_. _"_

They shared one last knowing look, then they separated, Peter disappearing to enact his final part.

One more play, and then this game would be over. And Killian wanted to witness Emma's reaction when she realized that he'd won.

He knew where he needed to go next.

* * *

Though he'd made it seem otherwise, this had been his and Killian's endgame from the beginning. All of the blood spilled, the destruction of the house Killian had bought for Emma with Rumplestiltskin's wife inside, it had all been to set the stage for this.

This was the play that would win them the game once and for all.

This time, it was Peter Pan perched on the edge of the pond where he had returned to life, the hood of his cloak thrown back-yet he was bone dry despite the pouring rain. He held a knife with a wooden handle in his right hand, and, as thunder clapped above him and lightning pierced the sky, he used it to slice open the palm of his other one.

Blood spilled from the fresh wound into the murky water below, tendrils of black running through it like it had been mixed with ink.

As soon as it touched the surface of the pond, a series of ripples went out and the water parted before him like a gaping mouth. Shadows rose out of it, surrounding Peter almost instantly and immersing the marsh in complete darkness.

 _Knights fall and the end of all things_

Pink lips curved in a crooked smile: Peter had never before seen anything so beautiful-and that was saying something.

He knew it was only going to get better.

 _The monsters awaken_

He stepped forward, placing one booted foot, and then another on the surface of the pond. The darkness wrapped around him like a second cloak, and he reached out, running his fingers through it, feeling its power course through him like an electric current.

 _The legions of darkness gather with only one aim_

 _Finish what we started_ , the demon boy commanded mentally, directing the shadows like he was the general and they were his army. _Wipe it all out: the streets, the buildings, the people. Leave nothing behind._

 _Except her_.

With a flick of his fingers, they dispersed, spiralling out into the night to follow their master's orders. Peter watched, Stygian emerald eyes simmering in the lack of light as the sounds of destruction reached his ears even above the storm. Nothing could stop this now: Storybrooke would be nothing but rubble by the end of the night.

Immensely pleased by that thought, he drew his hood back up and turned to depart. Once Killian was finished making sure the former Saviour knew how badly she had failed, Peter would join him; they would witness Storybrooke's fall together-and then they would leave it behind.

 _Snuff out the light_

* * *

Thunder crashed overhead and a forbidding fog joined the rain as Emma made her way back to her parents' house alone. She really hoped Henry would listen to her and leave town with Regina-now that there was no way to stop Hook and Pan, making sure her son was sage was the most important thing to Emma and getting him to leave was the only foolproof way of doing that.

 _Or so you might think_

Though she hated not having Henry with her, Emma knew letting him go was the right thing to do.

When she reached her destination, she let out a heavy breath as she was reminded of what had happened the last time she'd been in this house: finding Archie's dead body in, of all places, her brother's nursery had been one of the most traumatizing experiences of her life. David and Mary Margaret probably should have taken Neal somewhere else immediately after that-but it hardly mattered now. They were most likely all going to die soon, anyways, so they might as well do it in their home.

With that melancholic thought still in her head, Emma climbed the front steps and opened the front door to her parents' house.

As soon as she walked inside, her ears were assaulted by the easily identifiable sound of a baby crying.

 _Neal_. Emma thought frantically, immediately rushing up the stairs and heading for her younger brother's room.

The source of the baby's distress became instantly clear when she walked inside: their parents were on the floor right next to his crib, completely drenched in their own blood.

Emma froze in the doorway, unable to comprehend what she was seeing. Her parents couldn't be dead-they were all that she'd had left. How had Hook gotten to them both already?

She shook her head as tears spilled down her pale, sunken cheeks and she fell to her knees in defeat.

She truly had nothing now: everyone and everything she cared about was gone, and she knew she had no one to blame but herself. This had all been punishment for her mistakes, after all; for not telling Hook that she'd turned him into a Dark One, for pushing him away so many times, and for taking so long to admit that she loved him. This was all her fault.

The sound of her choked sobs mingled with her brother's wails, and, for several minutes, that was all that could be heard while Emma mourned the loss of the two people who had meant the most to her. She couldn't remember ever feeling grief like this before; having nothing hurt a lot more after previously having had everything. Even being in the foster system hadn't felt as bad as this.

And then, things got even worse.

"Hello again, Emma," Killian greeted her, a cruel smile curling his thin lips as he looked down at the crying woman. "I see you found the present I left for you."

Emma glared up at him in anguish, attempting to stem her tears.

"You killed them," she said in a hoarse, trembling voice, shoulders still shaking.

Killian tipped his dark head forward in what was almost a bow.

"I did," he confirmed proudly and without a single trace of remorse. "And, not only that, but I stopped the Queen from running off with your son. Do you know she was trying to take him out of town? Luckily, I put a spell on the town line when I started this that makes leaving impossible-otherwise they would have missed the conclusion of my little demonstration."

Emma's eyes widened; if that were true, then Henry wouldn't be able to escape whatever Killian had planned for the rest of the town.

"You said you wouldn't hurt Henry if Regina stayed out of your way," the blonde pointed out desperately, hoping that would make think twice about letting Henry get caught in his "conclusion".

Instead, it just made his smirk widen.

"Oh, I won't be laying a finger on him," Killian said smoothly. He gestured toward the window on the other side of the room. "I'm going to let that finish this for me."

Feeling an intense sense of foreboding. Emma slowly got to her feet and walked over to the window so she could see what Hook was talking about.

What she saw made her whole body go cold.

The streets were covered in shadows that seemed almost _alive_. Not only were they obscuring nearly everything from sight, but, as they spread, they were tearing apart everything in their path. Buildings, street signs, cars, _people_ -it didn't seem to matter. It was all ripped to pieces before Emma's eyes.

"I told Pan to let it spare _you_ -but I can't say it'll do the same for you boy," Killian stated silkily.

" _No,_ " Emma hissed, slamming her hand against the glass. She turned back to Hook. "Killian, _please_. You can do whatever you want to me-just please let Henry live."

There was no mercy or compassion in the Dark One's eyes as met the pleading gaze of the woman he had once called his true love and denied her request.

"Now why would I do that?" he retorted coolly. "I told you I would take _everything_ away from you-so that's exactly what I've done. I'm going to leave you with nothing, Swan: no magic, no friends, no family, no _home_ , and no one to blame except yourself."

He let out a quiet, vicious snicker; then, bringing his lips to Emma's ear, he added in a whisper, "And then, I'm going to fly out of here while you watch, unable to do a damn thing to stop it. So, goodbye, Emma. I hope you enjoy the rest of your long, lonely life trapped in the ashes of what was once your home."

And, with that, he was gone-just like everyone else.

* * *

Killian returned to his ship, where Peter was waiting for him on the bow, looking almost like the child he appeared to be as he watched the destruction going on around him.

"How did it go?" he asked as the Dark One materialized beside him, turning to face Hook with a bright gleam in his eyes.

"Exactly as I expected," Killian responded smoothly, pushing back the hood of his cloak so Peter could see his face as he joined him. "The so-called Saviour wasn't able to save anyone this time-not even herself."

Peter's pink lips pulled back in a truly demonic grin at the ruthlessness in his partner's tone. Whatever _feelings_ he'd had for Emma Swan must be truly gone now if he were talking about her like that-or else all been turned to what they always should have been: hate.

He sidled up to the pirate, toying with the clasp of his cloak as he asked, "No regrets, then?"

Killian met the boy's dark, penetrating stare without flinching, knowing Pan would know if he were lying. Fortunately, he didn't have to.

"None," he responded truthfully.

He allowed himself to be tugged forward, Pan's lips ghosting over his as his smile widened.

"Good," the former ruler of Neverland whispered, obviously pleased. He nipped at the pirate's bottom lip. "Because there's no turning back now."

Together, they turned to witness as the darkness swallowed the last remnants of the town once known as Storybrooke. Buildings crumbled, streets eroded, and nothing was left behind-except for Emma. He'd never intended to kill her; no, he wanted her to live with what she'd wrought.

 _Death would be much too kind_

Killian smirked, finally satisfied. He'd won. He'd gotten his revenge-and now he had no reason left to stay in the real world.

Pulling away from Peter, he lifted his gaze to the black sail and it came to life with a sudden wind, lifting the ship off the surface of the water.

It was time he and Pan made their home somewhere else.

* * *

LE END. This story is finally finished and I cannot believe how long it took to write. Kind of a shitty last chapter but meh. I'm done.

As always, thanks to everyone who followed/favourited/reviewed. You are the only reason I actually continued this story instead of just abandoning it after the fourth or fifth chapter.


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